Why Me?
by storyteller1425
Summary: Princess Annabeth must marry a prince she's never met in order to save her kingdom. But along the journey to this prince's kingdom, she bonds with her protector, Percy Jackson. Will they become more than friends? AU. OOC.
1. Why Do I Have to Do This?

**A/N: Here it is! The first chapter of my first chapter story. I hope you guys will enjoy this story. Of course, it's AU and OOC and all those other "other-worldly" things. This story involves all the elements to a classic fairytale and a few twists. Anyway, hope you guys will like it! Please review, leave your comments, leave suggestions, maybe if you have constructive criticism. I think I'll just shut up now and let you read the story.**

**DISLCAIMER: Ok must we always go through this? You all know who the characters belong to. The dude goes by the name of Rick Riordan.**

* * *

I woke up to the sound of someone banging on my door, yelling, "Princess! Princess!" When I opened the door, I saw it was my mother's lady-in-waiting.

"What does my mother need from me, Margaret? It's very early right now. What could she possibly want?" I asked her.

"It is an emergency. The Queen needs to speak with you emergency. The news is urgent," she replied.

I heaved a sigh and headed towards my mother's bed chambers. Along the way, I couldn't help but mumble to myself about why this couldn't wait. I reached the door and could hear crying on the other side. This worried me because my mother rarely cried. She was too strong to cry. I opened the door and peaked inside to see my father soothing my mother as she sobbed into her handkerchief.

"Mother, father? You wanted to speak to me," I asked cautiously.

"Annabeth, we have a very serious issue in our hands. It's best that you know this predicament. Our kingdom is at risk," said my father urgently. The last thing he said brought me to my senses. Our kingdom rarely had any threats, and most of those were very minor. If we could be at risk, this had to be enormously huge.

"Are you okay, Mother?" I asked her. She was still silently crying and didn't look like she would stop anytime soon. I looked at my father. "What's so bad that it's putting the kingdom at risk?"

"Well, the adjacent country, Olympia kingdom, has threatened to wage war on us if we do not remove our border patrol. Apparently, our soldiers have unbalanced the serenity of their wildlife. I'm afraid we can't remove our troops because the civilians will feel insecure. They're the reason we had border patrol in the first place," my father told me.

"Is there anything else we could do? Can't anything be done to resolve this?" I demanded. Just then, one of the squires told my father that he was required to speak with his council. "It is critical that you attend the meeting, your majesty," said the squire. My father excused himself and whispered something in my mother's ear, but before he left he said, "Do try to speak with her. She is suffering terribly from the situation. Maybe you can comfort her." I nodded in response.

When he was out of the room, leaving only my mother and I, I knelt beside her. "Mother? What's making you so upset?" I felt stupid saying that, but I couldn't think of anything else to say. Her crying subsided to mere sniffles. "Oh, honey. I'm fine. It's just this is making a huge impact on our family right now. There's only one way to solve this problem, but I doubt it would be possible," she said.

"What is it, mother? I can help! Whatever it is, I'll make sure it happens," I hastily said. I didn't care what it was we had to do. If I had to eat a whole frog alive, I would do it, but grudgingly of course.

"Well you see, this solution actually involves you. We've sent message to the other kingdoms in the realm. One kingdom has offered their security reinforcements to help threaten the Olympian kingdom. Of course, they have one condition," she said, looking nervous about the last thing she said.

"What's the condition?" I asked. My mother took a deep breath before rushing it all out, "The prince of the kingdom must marry you."

I froze and stared at her. I had to _marry_ the prince? This was such a large commitment. Though it meant that our kingdom would be safe. Then again, I didn't even know this prince. How could I even like him, let alone marry him? My mother probably saw how distressed I looked so she said, "Why don't you think about this? I'll give you some time. Do you think you can make your decision by dinnertime?" I merely nodded my head and bursted through the door, running towards my room.

Once I was inside, I flopped onto my bed and bawled into my pillow. It took awhile until I calmed down, only because my lady-in-waiting, Thalia, had rushed to my side to comfort me. Thalia and I had been best friends since we were very young. She was the only person in this whole kingdom, besides my parents, who addressed me using my first name. She was still my best friend and that meant she could call me whatever she wanted to. I explained everything to her. When I was finished, Thalia had a look of pity on her face.

"Oh you poor thing. You have so much held over your head right now. What are you going to do?" asked Thalia. I knew what I had to do. My kingdom always came before me. I had to be married.

"I guess I'm going to have an arranged marriage. It's the only way we'll have peace again," I replied shakily. Thalia then took my hand and helped me clean myself up. It was almost dinner and I had to announce my decision. I was going to officially agree to marrying a complete stranger.

* * *

The next day, the palace was in complete chaos. Everybody was preparing for my departure to the kingdom of Castella. I had learned that the name of the prince was Luke Castellan, they even showed me a portrait of him. He didn't look that bad. He was in fact pretty handsome.

I was already set for my journey. Dressed in what princesses would call "casual" I stood at the gates of the palace with my parents. My belongings were already in the carriage, and about six men on horseback surrounded it. My father took extra precautions about the trip and insisted that I was escorted by a few soldiers from the royal guard. I didn't think this was necessary, considering I was practically fine defending myself: I'd taken private lessons with an expert swordsman, and I was now a master with the dagger. Of course, I still had to go with my father's plans. My mother, on the other hand, was more worried about how I would fend for myself without a lady-in-waiting. Thalia was ill and could not accompany me on the trip. Mother had insisted that she call one of the other maids to take Thalia's spot but I simply refused. If Thalia wasn't going to be my lady-in-waiting, nobody else would be. I had to reassure my parents that I would be fine. The trip wasn't going to be that long. We'd probably reach the kingdom in about a week. But of course, my parents just had to be overly protective so they told me that I had one more person coming along. This person was going to be my "personal protecter." They called him over, addressing him as Percy Jackson.

I almost gasped when I took in the sight of him. He looked about my age, sixteen years old, but his body was well-built. He had a serious expression on and his unkempt hair got into his eyes whenever a breeze flew in. _Those eyes._ They were the one thing about him that captured my attention the most. They were a sea-green color, like the ocean. I felt like I was drowning into them, but not without noticing the slight twinkle in his eyes that gave away his serious demeanor. In others words, he was, with no doubt, immensely handsome.

"It is my pleasure to serve you, Princess," said a bowing Percy Jackson, bringing me back to the real world.

I replied, "Glad you are of service Mr. Jackson." I gave a short nod. He bowed once again before heading towards the carriage. My mother turned toward me and said, "He's a fine young gentleman isn't he? He does his job well at protecting the royal family, even at his age." I merely nodded my head, still staring at the mysterious black-haired, green-eyed boy I now called my "protecter." My parents bade farewell, each giving me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. I returned their actions tentatively, still nervous for my journey to the Castellan kingdom.

As I reached the carriage, Percy held the door open for me. I thanked him and smiled. He dropped the stern look on his face and grinned and winked at me. I couldn't help but blush before stepping into the carriage. I stuck my head out the window and waved back at my parents. Once we were too far away, I sat back inside, leaning back against my seat. I closed my eyes and sighed, knowing that this could all turn out to be a mistake instead.

"Is everything alright, Princess?" asked Percy. He was riding along side the carriage so that his face was visible through the window. I looked over at him warily.

"Everything is fine, Mr. Jackson," I murmured.

He laughed. "Even _I_ can tell something's up from your tone of voice. By the way, you can call me Percy, Mr. Jackson sounds too formal."

I smiled, I was actually enjoying this boy's company. "The truth is, there's so much pressure on me right now. I'm expected to marry someone I've never even met and this is supposedly going to help save our whole kingdom."

"I never knew it was _that_ serious. I just thought that you agreed to the marriage because, well, you fell in love or something," he said, frowning. I laughed, but it was hollow.

"Yeah, it's a lot more serious than that. I just wish this never happened. When I was young, I imagined myself actually falling in love with the person I married, not forced into it," I sighed.

Percy looked forward and mumbled, "I'm sorry." He then looked back at me. "You should get some rest, we have a long journey ahead of us."

I nodded and let myself drift into a deep sleep. My dreams were pleasant and occasionally, a particular boy would appear in them.

* * *

**A/N: Can you guess who the boy was? I think you can. Hope y'all enjoyed the first chapter! There's going to be much more interesting things in the future chapters. So please review and hopefully you will do it in a kindly manner. :)**

**storytella out!**


	2. Why Does He Make Me Feel This Way?

**A/N: Thanks to everybody who reviewed. You guys have been very helpful and encouraging. So here is the second chapter. I hope you'll like it. I know the first one wasn't so great, but usually the first chapters are the hardest since they start up your whole story. Also, some people are asking who the prince is so I'm going to clear things up. Luke is the prince. I might add the other characters later on such as Nico and Grover, and Thalia will be back. Maybe some of you now know what's up with everybody. Anyway, reviews are much appreciated, though flames aren't. Enjoy!**

**DISLCAIMER: I don't think I want to do this every chapter so I'm just going to apply this to my whole story: I do not own PJO. I am not Rick Riordan.**

When I finally woke up, the sun had already set. I noticed we were still slowly making the journey. I stretched and yawned, startling Percy. He laughed, earning a glare from me.

"Well, I see Sleeping Beauty has awaken from her nap," he smirked. I rolled my eyes and replied, "That is no way to greet a princess after she's rested." Percy frowned and stayed silent as if carefully thinking about what I'd just stated. After a few moments of awkward silence, he spoke up, "I apologize, Princess. I guess I felt more comfortable speaking with you that I forgot I was speaking with a member of the royal family." He didn't look at me while he was speaking, but I did catch him glance at me when he was finished. I found his seriousness humorous, considering I was joking when I had said that. If anything, I was glad somebody actually had the guts to be so informal around me.

"You do realize that I was joking? I don't mind. It's nothing really," I assured him. I saw him smile a little and knew that he was satisfied with what I'd said. We didn't talk for a few minutes until the captain yelled something I couldn't comprehend.

"We're setting up camp soon. Once we reach the site, stay by me so I can keep an eye on you while the others set up," said Percy.

I raised an eyebrow, "You know I am perfectly capable of handling myself. I'm sixteen. I think I'm reasonable enough not to let myself in harm's way. You're _setting up camp_! It's not a big deal."

Percy said, "Well I was under strict orders to stay by your side at all times." I scoffed. "My parents are way too protective of me." He just rolled his eyes.

Our party came to a halt at a clearing in the forest. All the men dismounted their steeds and Percy opened the door for me. I stepped out, but lost my footing because I hadn't realized how long I'd been sitting. I stumbled and had to lean on Percy to balance myself. He caught me by the waist with one arm while gripping my arm with the other. We both looked at each other and locked eyes, grey on green. I turned and blushed, muttering, "Thanks." I realized I was still leaning on him and we were in the same position. He must have come to his senses too because he then let go of me.

"Could you please just stay close to the camp site while we set up? I don't want you wandering the woods by yourself," Percy said.

I sighed. "You don't have to worry about me. I'm just going to stand on the side and do practically nothing while watching everybody else having to do something." I added a more dramatic tone towards the end.

Percy raised his eyebrows. "You want to help set up?"

"I don't want to just stand around, useless!" I exclaimed. He smiled and shook his head.

"You're the strangest princess I've ever met, not that I've met any other princesses. Seriously, Princess, we'll handle everything. I don't think it is proper to have a princess set up her own tent or collect firewood."

"Fine. I'll tend to the horses. Maybe I'll talk to them so they won't be so lonely," I said, pointedly. Percy merely laughed and headed towards the other men.

I looked over at the horses and walked towards Percy's. His steed was entirely black, camouflaging against the dark sky. The beautiful sleek fur reminded me of Percy's silky jet-black hair. I ran my fingers along the mane, feeling the soft texture of the fur. This was probably how it felt like to run a hand through Percy's hair, only it was probably much better. I shook my head, _What am I thinking?_

When I touched the horse's muzzle, it whinnied and bowed its head a little. I looked into its eyes and saw a knowing look, as if it knew exactly who I was.

"I suppose you're going to give me special treatment too," I mumbled to the horse. It shook its head. I cocked my head to the side wondering if this horse actually did understand me. I continued speaking anyway, feeling comfort in the presence of it.

"You're just a horse, of course you wouldn't care who I was. I wish that applied to people. Then it wouldn't seem like I had superiority over others. It gets irritating. It's always 'Princess this!' 'Princess that!' Not even my own parents or best friend try to treat me as a normal person, not even for a little while. I just wish someone would depend on me as 'Annabeth' not 'the crowned Princess'," I closed my eyes and sighed, stroking the horse's neck. It was still looking at me, probably processing what I'd said, though I highly doubted it. I looked into its eyes and asked, "You're a really good listener, you know? But what exactly is your name?" That last part came out as a whisper.

"It's Blackjack," a deep voice answered. I blinked. The voice seemed to have come from the horse. Although, there was something about that voice that seemed all too familiar. I decided to confirm the impossible.

"Did you just talk?" I muttered, making sure none of the others could hear me. Then I heard a low chuckle from behind Blackjack. Percy stepped out from behind the horse with a smirk. I scowled at him and smacked him on the arm, receiving an "Ow!"

He rubbed his arm and said, "You know, for someone who's expected to do nothing, you've got quite an arm."

"Do you think I _like_ to do nothing? Don't judge someone by how they appear to others. You don't know anything about me," I growled.

Percy put his hands up in surrender, still wearing that annoying smirk. "I see you were talking to my horse."

"Yes, I was indeed talking to your horse, just like I said I would," I narrowed my eyes. "How much did you hear?"

"Just enough to know that you dislike being the crowned princess," said Percy.

I sighed. "It's not that I dislike being a princess. I just don't like the fact that everybody, even the people closest to me, treats me as just 'Princess'. It's rare when I'm just Annabeth to someone."

I couldn't believe I'd practically opened a part of myself to this boy. We'd barely met and yet he made me feel so relaxed around him. I felt like I could trust Percy with anything. I didn't know what the feeling was, but it made me feel warm inside whenever I spent time with him.

"I don't always see you as Princess. When I made that remark about Sleeping Beauty, I only saw you as Annabeth. It's probably why I said that in the first place," he said, softly. I smiled, realizing that I had possibly made a new friend.

Percy looked back at the camp, where all of the tents were set up already. He then looked at me and said, "We should head toward the campfire. Travis is probably done with his stew."

He grabbed my wrist and pulled me along with him. I couldn't help the grin that had split on my face and the slight blush that had formed from his grip on my wrist. Why did he make me feel this way?

**A/N: And that is all for this chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed it. Personally, I thought I didn't put much heart into it. Oh well. Please review!**

**storytella out!**


	3. Why Shouldn't I Just Be Myself?

**A/N: Well, here's the next chapter. I know the last one didn't seem so good considering I didn't really like the way I wrote it. Please R&R. Enjoy!**

The other men were already seated around the fire by the time we got there. Most of them had their bowls filled with the stew in their hand, but none of them looked like they'd begun eating yet. Percy led me to a short stool by the fire. I noticed that I was the only one sitting on a stool. Every one else was either sitting on a log or the ground. It reminded me that I was still the princess and that meant I would get special treatment. I almost rolled my eyes at the stupidity of it all. Who said a princess couldn't plainly sit on the ground? I smiled appreciatively anyway, taking a seat on the stool. One of the men, probably Travis, handed me a bowl of stew. They looked at me expectantly. I fidgeted in my seat, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

"Why are they looking at me like that?" I whispered to Percy. He looked surprised.

"Out of respect, we have to wait for you to eat before we do," He answered. I looked down, embarrassed and took a sip of the stew. It was surprisingly delectable. I glanced up to see that the men were also eating their stew and quietly sighed. At least now the attention was turned toward something else.

When I finished my bowl of soup, I set it on the ground beside me and turned to Percy. He was holding an empty bowl in one hand, and drinking from a canteen in the other. The other men were drinking from their own canteens as well. It was apparent that I didn't have my own.

Percy seemed to have read my mind because he said, "We could give you your own canteen. I'm certain we have extras."

I smiled and thanked him. One of the men handed me a canteen filled with cool water. I nodded in response and gave him a small smile. I'd manage to drain half the canteen before my thirst was quenched. Every one began to stand up, taking their bowls with them. Percy took mine as well, handing them to Travis. I gave him a questioning look. "Why are you all giving him your empty bowls?"

"It's Travis's turn to do the dishes," said Percy. "He takes them over to the river to wash them."

"I see," I responded. This was new to me, considering it wasn't how I saw our kitchen staff at the palace do it. More than one person helped clean our plates. Then again, our meals in the palace weren't necessarily simple.

By now, most of us had dispersed around camp. Percy and I were walking toward my tent. I noticed that mine was slightly bigger than the others'. I would've rolled my eyes at the concept of superiority. I didn't expect special treatment.

"Well, I find it best that you get your rest, Princess. We still have a long journey before us. Fortunately, the captain said that we've managed to travel a little ahead of schedule. We might be able to reach the Castellan kingdom in less than a week," he said, grinning.

"I guess I'll go now. I'll see you tomorrow, Percy," I said, turning to the entrance to my tent. I looked over my shoulder and saw Percy still standing there. He was staring at me, wearing a goofy smirk on his face. I laughed and shook my head before entering the tent.

* * *

I woke up to the sound of birds chirping in the distance. After I threw on a dress, I headed outside. The sun was just rising. Nobody in the camp seemed to be awake yet. I could hear a few snores from the tents and even from the horses.

I walked over to the campfire. There was a satchel with different cooking ingredients by the ashen campfire. Sifting through it, I saw a large amount of bread and a small wheel of swiss cheese. There were some herbs and cooking utensils as well. Even though my parents would disapprove of it, I decided that I would treat the soldiers with breakfast. When I was young, I used to help Edna, the head chef at our palace, cook the simpler dishes. I knew the basics when it came to bread. Edna had even taught me a recipe for making delicious cheese toast.

I decided to take a seat on the log closest to the bag of ingredients. It didn't matter that my dress would get dirty. Frankly, the large dress was starting to irritate me.

Taking out the cheese wheel, I noticed it wasn't like the huge ones I'd seen the kitchen staff carry around. Despite the comparison, it was still a large size. I took out my dagger, which was strapped to the side of my leg, and cut out a sizable slice. A bowl and grater was taken out of the sack as well. I used the side with the larger blades and shredded the cheese until the bowl was filled to the brim. Putting the cheese to the side, I proceeded with the bread. I used my dagger to cut two loaves of bread into even slices, making sure each person had at least two to eat. I set aside the slices on a tray. I then remembered that I hadn't started a fire yet.

The fire was actually easy to start; it just took a few strikes of the sticks. Once the fire got going, I noticed that there was a rack placed over it. That had probably held the stew yesterday. It would be perfect for a tea kettle. Tea was a better drink for breakfast than plain water. I rummaged through the sack once again, this time for a kettle. Fortunately, there was a large one. It was enough to make tea for our entire company.

I emptied the contents of my water canteen into the kettle and hurriedly went to find a plant I could use to make tea of. There was a white fir tree nearby with abnormally large needles. Once I was at the tree, I held up the first layer of my dress to form a sort of pouch. I picked off the needles until my pouch was practically full. I ran back to the fire, but tripped and dropped a majority of the fir needles. Sighing frustratingly, I ran back to the tree. I hurriedly picked the needles again, making sure I kept a slow pace on the trip back to the fire.

When I reached the kettle, the water was slowly boiling. I dumped as many of the needles as possible into the kettle. I'd finished the tea so now there was only the bread to worry about.

The tray that kept the bread was ceramic. It was perfect for grilling the bread. Unfortunately, I'd forgotten to oil the tray as to keep the bread and cheese from sticking to it. It took some time to oil the already occupied tray. Luckily, I managed to cover it entirely in olive oil. The tray was now over the fire, with the bread slowly grilling.

On each slice of bread, I sprinkled a bit of cheese. The bread was warm enough to slightly melt the cheese so that it was now stuck on the bread. Though Edna had taught me that if I pressed the side of the bread to the pan, or in my case tray, the cheese would crisp, giving the bread a better toasty taste.

I was finally finished with making breakfast. The tray of bread was taken off the rack to cool off but close to the fire to keep them warm. I'd moved the kettle to the side of the rack that had the least amount of fire. I took out tin plates and tea cups from the satchel. Everything was set up. All there was left was to wait for every one to wake.

Suddenly, I became aware of my appearance. The preparation had made me look revolting. My hair had almost fallen out of its once tight bun. My dress was dirty, especially the hem and had a few white fir needles stuck to the front. I noticed that I was sweating slightly, and my hands were sticky from all the activity I'd done. This was a good time to clean myself up. Taking one last look at the food, I made sure nothing was at risk of burning.

I ran to the stream nearby to wash my face and hands. The dress I was wearing was already dirty so I dropped to my knees, getting myself closer to the stream. I first washed my hands in the water, then used them to splash water on my face. I leaned closer to the water so that it was easier for me to wash my face completely. Unfortunately, I leaned a little too close. The next thing I knew, I was in the stream. It didn't have a very strong current. I managed to climb out of it, seething. This day had turned into an utter disaster.

I trudged back to camp, entirely drenched. Percy came out of his tent just as I walked past it. He raised his eyebrows questioningly and opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off.

"Not a word," I growled. I marched on to my tent. Once I was inside, I quickly dried myself. I changed into the dress with the least amount of layers. I then pinned my golden locks into a half ponytail, leaving my hair down while keeping it out of my face. Once I was decent enough, I walked towards the campfire where all the men were already seated.

Percy was serving every one by the time I reached them. They looked excited and happy, as if my cooking had suddenly given them energy.

"Did you make all this?" asked Percy. He was still serving breakfast.

"Yes, I did," I replied.

"Well then thank you, Princess, for a wonderful breakfast," he replied. I smiled and served myself the toast and tea. I went over to my stool and looked over the ones around the campfire. All of them were waiting for me to take my first bite, and most of them looked very impatient. I bit into my piece of toast and they erupted in cheers. They began munching enthusiastically on their breakfast. There were grunts and moans and hums of approval. A person would most definitely tell these men hadn't had a breakfast like this in a long time.

The tray was passed around, evenly distributed amongst everybody. Once I was done with my breakfast, I brushed the bread crumbs off my hands and handed the tin plate and tea cup to a man who already had a few stacked beside him. About all the men were done by now and they were all sitting on the logs, stretching and rubbing their stomachs.

"Let us thank the person who made us such a wonderful meal!" exclaimed Percy. I was mumbling protests, but he ignored them altogether.

"To the Princess!" he shouted, pumping his fist in the air. "To the Princess!" the men cried in unison, some mimicking what Percy had done.

"Thank you," I said. I blushed and looked down on the ground. By the time the color had drained out of my face, the captain had already sent everybody to pack up camp. Only Percy was still seated on the log beside me, staring at me.

"You were really generous to make us breakfast," he said softly.

I replied, "It was the least I could do for you guys. You're all putting your lives at risk to protect me. I guess it was my way of showing my gratitude."

He nodded and stood up. I stood up as well, saying, "So we're about to leave soon? Should I go pack up my belongings?"

Percy shook his head and chuckled. "That won't be necessary. Someone would have packed your things by now. You are the princess. It shouldn't be right to have you do any work. We've got everything under control. Don't worry."

"Then what about you? Shouldn't you be packing?" I looked up. Only then did I realize that Percy was slightly taller than me. I only reached up to the bottom of his nose.

"I already packed this morning. I'm all set. Stop worrying, Princess. We can handle it," he laughed. We both looked in the direction of the horses. Most of them were already carrying full saddlebags. Percy turned back toward me.

"I think it's time for you to get in the carriage," he said. I nodded and followed him to where the carriage was. On the way, I greeted Blackjack and pet his snout. He whinnied in response.

Percy was already waiting at the carriage, holding the door open for me. I climbed into it and sat by the window. Percy mounted Blackjack, who was standing by the window I sat by. The captain yelled, "Company! Journey on!" The men erupted in cheers. _These are some enthusiastic men,_ I thought.

The carriage began moving with a jolt. I folded my arms on the ledge of the window and rested my chin on them. The scenery zipped by as we continued our journey. I looked over the land we passed: mountains, plains, and meadows. Soon, I felt my eyelids get heavier. The last thing I saw before I drifted to sleep was a sign saying _Welcome to Grace County._

_

* * *

_

"Princess Annabeth! Wake up!" a voice murmured softly. Someone was gently shaking me awake. My eyes fluttered open to the sight of two green orbs. I jumped a little and realized that Percy had shaken me awake, and his face was only a few inches away from mine. I blushed and looked around me. I was still in the carriage, but it had stopped moving. Percy was halfway through the doorway.

I stretched and yawned. "Where are we right now?"

"We are actually in Suez Town right now. It's already the afternoon and the captain decided we needed a break from all the riding. Most of the men have gone off exploring the town. We need more supplies anyway," he said.

I grinned at what he'd said. This was the perfect opportunity for me to get peasant clothes, clothes that I could actually run in easily.

"What are you thinking?" Percy asked slowly. I looked at him and smirked. "Shopping!" He groaned as I pulled him through town to find a decent clothing shop.

* * *

"Well, this looks like a nice place for me to find clothes," I said. Percy eyed the sign warily.

"Matilda's Dress Shoppe: The Finest and Most Comfortable Dress For You," he read. We entered the shop to find a woman behind a wooden counter. She looked middle-aged, probably around my mother's age, and she wore a warm smile when we walked in.

"What a pleasant surprise! Welcome Princess Annabeth. What brings you to my shop today?" the lady said.

"I'm looking for regular dresses. Ones that you could comfortably wear," I answered her. She frowned a bit.

"Certainly you wouldn't want to be wearing peasants' clothes! Look at your beautiful dress! Wouldn't you rather wear something like that?" she asked.

"I'm taking a rather long journey to the kingdom of Castella. I don't think my dresses are fit for that sort of event," I answered, rather irritated. Why didn't she get that I wanted plain, comfortable clothes?

"Well then, follow me, Princess. You can try on our newest collection in the back," she said, walking towards a doorway to the right of her. I trailed behind her and almost forgot about Percy. He was about to go with me through the doorway when I stopped him.

"You should wait out here," I told him.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because I am going to be changing in and out of dresses. Now why would I let you follow me in there?" I said, jabbing a finger at the doorway. No way was I going to let this boy watch me change, even if he had to be at my side at all times.

He grinned suggestively and I gasped. I slapped him hard on his upper arm and he immediately grabbed it, cursing and rubbing the spot I'd hit. I huffed and gave him a nod before stepping through the red curtains that hung on the doorway.

The lady made me try on at least a dozen different dresses until I picked out five to get. All of them had brown skirts and different colored tops. I got the colors sky blue, burgundy, lavender, white, and a sea-green that looked very similar to Percy's eyes. The sky blue and burgundy were long-sleeved while the white, lavender, and sea-green were short-sleeved.

Along with the dresses, I picked out a white bonnet and apron, flexible leather shoes, and a grey shawl. I changed into the lavender dress and put on my new shoes. I tied the bonnet around my neck, in case I needed to shield my eyes from the sun. There was so much more space to breathe in these clothes. I sighed at the comfort of my new outfit. The lady placed the rest of my items into a box.

We walked out to the front of the shop where Percy was leaning against the wall, gazing outside. He straightened himself up when he saw us. But as soon as he looked at me, his eyed widened and his mouth went slack.

"You, um, you look, uh, great, no beautiful! Yes beautiful, Princess," he stammered, scratching the back of his head. His eyes were glazed as if he'd seen the most delicious pastry he's eyes ever laid on. I giggled and blushed, turning my attention to the lady.

She calculated the total to be exactly 20 shillings. I raised my eyebrows in surprise. That was about how much my dresses costed, and those were usually the less expensive ones.

"But for you, Princess, I'll give you a discount. You'll only need to pay 14 shillings," the lady said. My jaw dropped. 14 shillings was a very small amount for how much I'd bought.

"Oh no. I couldn't do that. I will pay full price for it. 20 shillings, here you go," I said, handing her 20 coins from my money pouch.

"Thank you, Princess. Thank you," the lady said, sounding like she was going to cry at any moment.

"It was nothing really,…" I left the sentence hanging, implying that I wanted to know her name.

"Matilda, Princess. Matilda Grace," she answered. _Matilda Grace?_ I thought. Thalia had an aunt by that name.

"Matilda, do you happen to have a niece by the name of Thalia Grace?" I asked.

Her eyes lit up. "Yes! As a matter of fact, I do. She's in town right now. Do you know her?"

I grinned and nodded. "I must see her! She's probably gotten better from the flu. Where is she right now?" I looked expectantly at Matilda.

"She's most likely helping her father at the inn across the street. It's called _Amazing Grace_," said Matilda. I thanked her and threw two more shillings on the counter. I grabbed the box of my new attire and rushed to the door, grabbing Percy by his elbow. He was still flustered from earlier, but managed to stay on his feet when I pulled him.

We were going to see Thalia, my best friend, again! I felt like I was seven years old, off to play with her. I felt like myself again. With my new clothes, for once I felt normal. And with Percy towing behind me, I couldn't have been happier.

**A/N: Ok. So not the best ending I had in mind, but it still reflects the point of this chapter. This was my longest chapter yet. So, I hope you liked the amount I've given. I hope the chapter really showed you who Annabeth was. Don't worry, there's gonna be a lot more stuff in the next chapter, I promise. But until then, please review and give me your thoughts. Also, thank you so much for reviewing! You guys are really awesome readers. :)**

**storytella out!**


	4. Why Can't My Life Always Be As Perfect?

**A/N: Holy pickles! I'm sorry. I can't believe I haven't updated in over a week. But you know, everybody has a life outside of the internet. I've been busy with family and such. Anyway, I hope you do enjoy this chapter. It's the longest one yet, over 5,000 words! So please forgive me for the long wait of this chapter, but I do hope that the length of it will suffice you.**

**Also, thank you so much to all of my reviewers! I can't believe I have over 40 reviews. It means a lot. And a special shout-out to Anna145 who has supported me greatly from the very first chapter of this story. Thank you!**

**DISLCLAIMER: No.**

A jingle rang from the small bell above the wooden door as I opened it. I smiled as the smell of homemade apple pies filled my nose. The inn quaint and looked rather cozy. Then, a familiar dark-haired head caught my eye. Thalia was cleaning a table towards the back of the inn.

"Thalia!" I shouted. Her head shot up. At first her eyes were wide then a large grin exploded on her face. She left her rag on the table and ran to me, tackling me in a hug. It knocked the wind out of me, but I managed to laugh.

"Annabeth! What are you doing here?" Thalia asked once she let go of me.

"We had to stop here for a few things. I went to your aunt's shop to get new dresses. She told me you were here so I decided to stop by," I replied, grinning.

"Alright. Then who is this?" she asked, pointing to Percy. She was smirking and the tone she used when she asked this sounded a bit teasing.

"Oh! I forgot to introduce you two. Percy, this is Thalia Grace, my longtime best friend. Thalia this is Percy Jackson, my personal protector…" I glanced up at Percy when I said this and saw that his eyes held a hint of disappointment. "And my newfound friend."

He looked down at me and gave a small smile. I smiled back at him, then turned back to Thalia. She had an amused expression on her face so I quirked an eyebrow.

"Don't worry. I don't think we need any introductions," said Percy. He was grinning at Thalia, who was doing the exact same thing.

"I haven't seen you in a while, Kelp For Brains. I see you've been preoccupying yourself," said Thalia.

"How about you Pinecone Face? You never told me you were best friends with the princess," Percy said. Both of them laughed and gave each other a hug. I suddenly felt a twinge of jealousy, seeing Percy hug her. _But why am I feeling jealous? _I asked myself.

I cleared my throat and asked, "You two have met before?"

They both nodded and Thalia simply said, "Percy's my cousin."

My mouth formed an _O_. I breathed out, not knowing I'd held it. There was nothing to be jealous about. Percy and Thalia were merely cousins.

"Oh Annabeth!" Thalia suddenly sang out. She was wearing a mischievous grin on her face, and I knew nothing good could come from that. "Your long-lost love has returned."

"I'm sorry. Did you just say long-lost _love?_" exclaimed a flustered Percy. His eyebrows were raised high and his eyes were wide with surprise.

Thalia rolled her eyes. "Yes, Percy. Even someone with as small of a brain capacity as you would know that I said long. Lost. _Love_." I giggled, but then registered what she'd said.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Thalia," I mumbled, blushing a deep shade of red. She rolled her eyes, yet again.

"Come on, Annabeth, don't play dumb with me. You know who I'm talking about," she said. Percy was still standing there with raised eyebrows. Obviously, he was still recovering from shock when Thalia had talked about my "love." I wasn't sure why he seemed so surprised about it.

I sighed. "Look, he wasn't my 'love'. I just had a small crush on him, that's all."

Thalia scoffed. "Yeah right. You had it bad."

By now, Percy was no longer surprised. He looked downright furious. His brow was in a deep furrow, his arms were crossed tightly across his chest, and he was glaring at the floor.

"But what did you mean he's returned?" I asked Thalia.

"What I mean is that he's here. Right now. Actually, he's upstairs," she replied.

"What!" Percy and I shouted in unison. Thalia nodded then tilted her head toward the stairs and yelled, "Nico! Get down here! There's someone I want you to meet."

She looked back at Percy and I. Both of us had our mouths wide opened, shocked that he was actually _here._ I knew this confrontation was going to be complicated.

"What is it this time, Thalia?" Nico sighed as he walked down the stairs. When he laid his eyes on me, he froze. His mouth was wide opened and his eyes looked like they were about to fall out of their sockets.

"A-Annabeth?" he managed to sputter. I nodded slowly, I was too speechless to form any words.

"Well isn't this nice! It's a huge reunion between us all!" said Thalia, grinning like an idiot. I glared at her and redirected my attention back to Nico. I cleared my throat.

"Um, hello Nico. It's been quite a long time," I spoke politely. My tone felt too stiff and formal. Evidently, I was very uncomfortable.

"Three years," he replied, smiling. "Can I at least get a hug after all those years?"

I glanced at Percy, who was still refusing to be a part of this, and stepped awkwardly closer to Nico. He wrapped his arms around me in a hug, and I hesitantly returned it. I slowly melted into him, sinking into his warmth.

"I missed you," he whispered. His breath tickled my ear, causing me to slightly shiver.

I gulped. "Me too." He pulled back to look at me. He was smiling widely and I couldn't help but smile back. His smile was large and dazzling. It would've made me feel weak in the knees three years ago, but now I only felt a small pang in my chest.

I stepped back next to Percy and gently placed a hand on his upper arm. He was tense but relaxed under my touch.

"Nico, this is Percy Jackson. He's my appointed personal protector, but he's also a good friend," I said. Nico seemed to take in Percy's appearance for the first time. He stuck his hand out.

"And Percy, this is Nico di Angelo. I think by now you know who he is," I said. Percy nodded and glared at Nico. They shared a brief but rough handshake. The tension was unbearable. I could slice right through it with my dagger. We were all silent. Percy and Nico were glaring at each other while Thalia and I tentatively watched them.

"Well, I think we better go. Nico and I have to run some errands for my father. Have a safe trip, Annabeth. Same goes for you, Percy, and you better take good care of the princess," said Thalia, disrupting the uncomfortable silence. She grabbed Nico by the collar of his shirt and dragged him out of the inn. Nico was squirming under her grip, looking at me with apologetic eyes. I shrugged and gave him a small smile. Once the duo disappeared through the door, I turned towards Percy. He was still glaring furiously at the spot where Nico had been.

I sighed. "What's wrong, Percy? You've been very…" I was trying to think of the right word.

"Awkward?" suggested Percy, finally looking at me. His eyes still had a hard look in them.

"I think the better word would be tense," I said. Percy still looked pained.

"Come on, Percy. I think I know you enough to know that you aren't one to make quick judgements about a person. Really, what's wrong?" I pressed on. By now, I was clutching onto his arm. His breaths came out in heavy huffs, but he managed to calm down a bit.

"It's just Nico. I mean, did you really love him?" he said.

I rolled my eyes. "Thalia was only joking when she said that. Sure, I used to have a crush on him, but I didn't _love_ him."

Percy let out a sigh of relief. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Let's just get out of here. I need some fresh air right now," he said. I nodded in response and followed him outside.

"What shall we do while we await for our departure, Princess?" asked Percy. I put on a thoughtful face and said, "Well, I haven't been horseback riding in a while. Is there any chance we could spend our time doing that?"

He grinned. "There's a stable nearby. We could borrow a couple horses from there."

We ran to a building that looked to be like a horse stable. I knew it definitely had to be one. The repulsive smell filled my nose before we even stepped inside. Percy handed me the reins to a palamino horse, while he led a completely white horse out of its stable. I stepped aside as he took some time to saddle both steeds.

After a few minutes of endless tightening and adjusting, Percy told me that the horses were ready for riding. I mounted mine first, trying my best to remember what my instructor had taught me about riding a horse. Percy mounted his with ease. He smirked when he saw how inexperienced I was. I glared at him in response.

"Ready?" he asked, still wearing that stupid smirk. I nodded. Percy thrashed his reins and his horse began trotting forward. I followed his example and felt a lurch. My horse took off, and I laughed. Percy slowed down enough for me to catch up. He grinned when I reached his side.

"I think I see a large meadow ahead of us. That would be a good place for us to ride," he said. We took off on our steeds, keeping a steady pace.

"Have you ever ridden a horse?" Percy asked. I nodded. "I used to when I was young."

He looked over at me, raising a questioning eyebrow. "Why don't you ride them anymore?"

I shrugged. "Now that I'm older, my duties as a princess have increased. I don't really have time anymore for horseback riding. My mother also finds it un-ladylike to be riding horses, which I find slightly ludicrous.

He threw his head back and laughed, hard. "Well I don't think it as un-ladylike at all. If you ever want to go horseback riding, I'll join you."

I smiled gratefully at him. Percy somehow always had a way to bring that warm fuzzy feeling in me.

"I bet I'd win you in a race," said Percy, waggling his eyebrows mockingly. And now that feeling was gone. I scoffed. "You're on!"

"First person to the other side of the meadow wins. Ready…set…GO!" he yelled.

Our horses took off, running full speed, into the meadow. All the while I couldn't help but laugh. Riding a horse made me feel so free and alive. Percy was obviously winning. His experience with horses was definitely a key factor in his victory.

He was already claiming his win by the time I reached him. His arms were continuously doing fist pumps into the air, and he was yelling cheers.

"I guess I win," Percy said smugly. I glared at him and muttered, "Cheater." He laughed, but it stopped abruptly when his horse began bucking. Its bucking grew to a vigorous thrashing. Percy was trying to calm down the horse but to no avail. By now, he was wildly riding a restless horse.

I dismounted my horse to go over and help him. But when I stepped close to him, he shouted, "No, Princess! Don't step too close. I don't want you hurt!"

However unnecessary, I obeyed him and watched helplessly at his failed attempts to calm the horse. The steed was still bucking and Percy looked like he had wrestled a bull. Finally, after one strong buck, the horse managed to throw him off its back.

"Percy!" I screamed. I ran to him, his body lying limply on the ground. He looked to be unconscious and I could only pray that he was alive. I checked for a pulse and saw that he was still breathing. When I looked for any serious injuries he could have, he didn't seem to have anything broken. The worst one was a large cut on his left arm. I had to rip off the hem of my skirt and wrap the fabric around his arm to stop the bleeding.

"Please, Percy. Wake up. Wake up!" I murmured, taking him by the shoulders and shaking him. Slowly, his eyelids fluttered opened. He blinked rapidly until it seemed like he was seeing clearly again.

"Oh thank goodness," I whispered. I put my hands on either side of his face and planted him a light kiss on his nose. No matter the size of it, I still felt my face heat up. Percy had a slight blush, but he was still too weak.

"Princess?" he asked hoarsely.

I nodded. "Yes?"

"Remind me to use our horses the next time we go horseback riding," he said. Even in this situation, I couldn't help but laugh. "Of course."

Percy slowly sat up and got to his feet. He managed to stand for a short moment until his knees gave in. I rushed to his side to support him.

"This isn't just. I shouldn't be using the Princess as a supporter." I rolled my eyes. "Don't be stupid." I knew he gave in when he winced and further leaned into me.

"Are you sure you can walk?" I asked. He nodded and prompted me to guide him to the horses. We each grabbed the reins of a horse and proceeded to walk back to town. Our progress was slow. The sun was about to set by the time we reached the stables.

I ordered Percy to sit down at the bench in front while I put both the horses back to their stables. When I stepped outside again, Percy was lazily leaning against the bench. I smirked as he glared at me.

"I could've helped you. You didn't have to do that," he said. I waved a hand dismissively.

"I just returned the horses. I don't think it's that big of a deal. Besides, you're injured," I said. "Now let's get back. I think the others are worried about where we've been."

I helped him up, and he had to use me as support, draping his arm over my shoulders. I felt the heat rise up to my face at how close we were.

"Where have you been?" yelled Thalia as we neared the company of men. She crushed us both in a hug, causing Percy to hiss in pain.

"Uh, Thalia, could you let us go? Percy injured himself while we were horseback riding," I said. She released us from her death grip, but gave us a stern look.

"Annabeth, you know that your mother doesn't approve of you riding horses. Now look at what happened! That could've been you who was injured," Thalia said. I rolled my eyes.

"But I wasn't. So don't worry about it. Now, will you please get help for Percy? He's badly cut on his left arm," I said. Percy was still leaning against me and he was straining to stand up by himself.

"I'm fine," huffed Percy, wincing. I looked pleadingly at Thalia. She nodded. I gently positioned Percy so that he was leaning on Thalia. They slowly walked back to her inn.

"Come on, Percy. Let's get you cleaned up," I heard Thalia say before they entered the inn. Just then, the captain walked towards me.

"Princess, we must continue our journey. Jackson must stay behind," he said. I looked at him incredulously. "Percy has to stay behind?"

He nodded. "If we wait for him, it will further delay our trek."

"Tell me, Captain, have we wasted that much time? Last time I checked, you said that we were traveling ahead of schedule," I said, looking him dead in the eye.

"Yes, Princess, we have traveled at a fairly fast pace, but-"

"Then why would waiting for Percy be a problem?" I interrupted.

"But Princess, the faster we get there, the better for you."

"Well then, seeing as you care so much for my welfare, I demand that we wait for Percy before we continue on. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes…yes, Princess," said the captain. He bowed awkwardly then proceeded to deliver the news to the rest of the men. It felt weird to be so demanding, but I refused to go anywhere without Percy by my side. Just thinking of that brought a blush to my cheeks.

"Someone seems lost in their thoughts," a voice whispered into my ear. I jumped, startled, and turned around to come face to face with Nico. He was holding a bouquet of roses.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. Nico handed me the roses. I took them, blushing.

"I came here to say goodbye. I'm sorry you have to marry against your will. I hope you'll invite me to the wedding," he said.

I laughed. "I'm going to invite the whole kingdom, Nico. Don't worry, you won't be forgotten."

"Well, just in case that I am forgotten, how about I give you something you will remember?" he said. I raised my eyebrows.

"What are you talking abou-" I began, but I was cut off by his lips on mine. He pulled away and smiled at me. I was still in a state of shock to do anything.

"We need to go now," a voice growled. I looked up to see Percy glaring at Nico. Thalia was beside him, her hands covering her mouth, eyes wide.

"Percy! It's not what it looked like. You don't understand," I pleaded. His face had contorted into a pained expression. I couldn't help but feel my heart break at what I'd done to him. I wasn't exactly sure what I had done exactly, but I knew for sure that kiss didn't make things any better.

"I understand enough. We have to go. I'll tell the captain to bring the carriage around," mumbled Percy. With that, he trudged off to the band of horses at the front of our party. I turned back to Thalia.

"I see he's all fixed up," I mumbled. She nodded and darted her eyes to Nico. I turned my attention to him as well. He was frowning.

I sighed. "Goodbye, Nico. I do hope you will come to the wedding." I gave him a quick hug before running to where Percy had gone. It wasn't until I reached the captain did I realize Thalia had followed me.

"Thalia? Why are you following me?" I asked.

"We're coming along with you," she simply stated.

"We?" I asked. Thalia nodded. She gestured to a boy walking towards us. He had light brown curly hair and a wispy beard. He walked with a slight limp, but looked healthy nevertheless.

"Annabeth, this is Grover Underwood. He escorted me here. His way around the kingdom helped us get here faster. That's probably why I reached Suez Town before you," said Thalia. I nodded.

"Please to meet you, Princess," said Grover, bowing.

"Likewise, Mr. Underwood," I replied.

"Just Grover would be fine, Princess," he said, a little hesitant. I smiled and gave him a nod.

"Well, I'll leave you two to get ready. I need to quickly speak with the captain. Excuse me," I said.

The captain was speaking with Percy when I reached him. I cleared my throat and both of them turned toward me. Percy frowned and mumbled to the captain, "I'll speak with you later."

We watched as he walked back to the carriage. I turned the captain and stated, "I do not wish to ride in the carriage."

"Pardon, Princess?" asked the captain.

"I do not wish to ride in the carriage," I said firmly.

"Then, what means of transportation would you like to use?"

"I'd like to venture on horseback the remaining of our journey."

"Are you sure, Princess? Have you ridden a horse before?"

I was taken aback by his comment. These people were all the same. Just because I was the princess, they expect so little of me.

"Of course, Captain. Now please ready a steed for me and leave the carriage behind," I said.

"Very well, Princess," replied the captain. I nodded and walked back to the carriage. Percy was preparing the step to the carriage.

He turned around when I said, "The carriage won't be necessary anymore." He raised his eyebrows in question.

"The captain has agreed to have me ride horseback the rest of the journey," I answered.

He scoffed. "You're seriously risking that?"

"Do you think I'm incapable of riding a horse?"

"No, but you saw what happened to me. I don't want you getting hurt."

"So now you start worrying about me?" I asked. This was the most he'd spoken to me since the incident earlier, but his words were still cold.

"Princess, I'm always worried about you. I'm your protector," he said.

I sighed. "Then why have you been keeping away from me?" Percy ran a hand through his unruly hair. How I wished that could be my hand. _Stop thinking things like that!_ I thought.

"'I'm not keeping away from you. I've just got a lot on my mind right now," he replied.

I scoffed. "And what on earth would you have on your mind?"

"You kissing Nico," he murmured. It was barely audible and I wouldn't have heard it had I not been standing right in front of him.

"I didn't kiss him! He kissed me!" I practically yelled. "Why would you ponder so much on that?" He stayed quiet, refusing to look me in the eye.

Then, realization dawned upon me. "Are you _jealous?" _I asked incredulously.

Percy's eyes widened. "What? No! Of course not." He looked away, color rising to his face. I smirked. "So that's why you seemed so unpleasant around Nico."

He rolled his eyes. "Believe what you may. I'm going to catch up with an old friend." Percy gestured towards Grover Underwood, who was preparing his horse. I nodded and watched as he jogged to Grover. Another man, Travis, came up to me and bowed.

"Your steed is ready, Princess. We are ready when you are," he said. I thanked him and followed him to a caramel-colored mare. Her mane was a deep gold and her eyes were of a warm light brown.

I turned to Travis and asked, "What's her name?"

He looked surprised but answered, "It's Fawna, Princess."

I smiled and thanked him. He bowed and walked away. I ran my fingers through Fawna's mane before mounting on the saddle. The captain seemed to have noticed that I was ready because he then shouted, "Company! Tread forth!"

Everybody lashed their reins. We proceeded forward, our horses walking leisurely. Thalia came up to my right while Percy stayed at my left. Thalia began chatting animatedly. I barely kept up with the conversation, not actually paying much attention to her. I was still aware of Percy's avoidance of me.

"What's up with you two?" asked Thalia, obviously sensing our tension. I gave her a weary look before answering, "Nothing. Nothing at all."

She merely shrugged and continued talking. I glanced over at Percy. He was staring straight ahead, his face expressionless. Though I could see that his postured was stiff and his jaw was set. I sighed, knowing that this journey was going to be a long one.

Our party rode for a few more hours. We were restless, considering that we were entering dangerous country. The land was known for bandits and other criminals. Luckily, we had many people in our group.

"Halt!" yelled the captain. We stopped, all conversations stopped as the captain held a hand up. The silence was unbearable. I could sense that something was wrong before…

"Bandits!" someone yelled. All of us jumped down from our horses. The men drew their swords, readying for battle. A group of fifteen men or so emerged from the woods. They looked rugged and sinister. Most had scars on their faces, and all were the size of two of our men combined. They charged at us and we fought back. I was still standing there, shocked from the event. All around me, swords clashed and cries of battle arose.

Off to the side, I saw Percy and Grover, back-to-back, fighting off a couple of bandits. The captain appeared next to me and said alarmingly, "Princess! You must leave now. It isn't safe for you to remain here. Continue your journey. You need to get out! Take the other minors with you! Hurry!"

I nodded and ran off to find Thalia. She was fighting a bandit with a sword when I found her. I couldn't wait for her to finish so I kicked the man straight on the nose. He was knocked out completely.

"Nice kick," said Thalia, panting. "Great swordsmanship," I replied. I hurriedly explained to Thalia what the captain had told me. We immediately ran off to find Grover and Percy. Grover found us and said that he knew about the captain's orders.

"I'll go find Percy. You two need to get four horses ready for us. Now!" shouted Grover. Thalia and I gathered the horses. I grabbed Fawna while she went to get Blackjack and two other horses. Once we managed to get the horses, we made sure that we had supplies to last for a while. I was about to fasten the last saddlebag on Fawna when a piercing cry rang out. The cry came from an all too familiar voice.

"No!" I cried. I turned around to find Percy kneeling on the ground, clutching his right arm. He was not too far behind me. In fact, he seemed to have blocked a strike that would have killed me. A bandit was hovering over him. He was holding a dagger with blood on it, wearing a smug expression on his face. I felt the anger boil in me and ran to where Percy was. I unsheathed my dagger, all the tips the sword expert had taught me flooded into me. I tripped the man and kicked him right in the stomach.

Percy's hisses of pain redirected my attention back to him. Blood was trickling down him arm. I had wrap my shawl around the wound to reduce the bleeding. Tears were trickling down my face as I stared at his condition.

"You idiot! Why did you do that?" I said, my voice thick of tears.

He groaned. "I'm your protector. I couldn't very well let you die like that."

I merely shook my head, calling Grover and Thalia to come help Percy. They sprinted to where we were. Each took either side of Percy, supporting and leading him to the steeds we'd prepared.

"Percy, you're going to need to ride with me. You are in no state to ride on your own," I said, seriously. Instead of protesting like he normally would, he nodded. He looked like he was in no state to argue. Grover and Thalia carried him to Fawna. Once he was safely on the saddle, I climbed on, taking a seat in front of him. Percy wrapped his good arm around my waist. I could feel my face begin to color.

Before we proceeded, I took one last look around me. Battle was raging on between our good men and those filthy bandits. Men had fallen and most were still left fighting. I couldn't help but feel extremely guilty. These faithful soldiers were fighting to protect me. They were willing to risk their lives while I ran away. I felt a tear slip before I lashed my reins.

"We should camp out here," said Grover. By now, we'd ridden past the dangerous country. Where we were, there were meadows with grazing animals, beautiful gardens, and friendly forests. Grover stopped us near the forest. He explained that we should camp out somewhere with a slight covering just in case those bandits were after us.

We dismounted our horses. Thalia and I helped Percy off while Grover immediately began pitching the tents.

Thalia looked at me. "Well I guess I'll have to go patch him up again." She pointed to Percy, receiving a slight glare from him. I nodded and gently shifted his weight onto Thalia. She grunted slightly before dragging him off. Then, I walked to where Grover was already pitching up a third tent.

"You work fast. Need any help?" I offered. He wiped his brow and smiled, "There is no need to help, Princess. It isn't fit to have you do such a thing."

I laughed. "You sounded just like Percy. Alright then, I'm going to explore our surroundings. If you need anything, call for me."

Grover nodded before returning to his work. I strolled around the area, lightly trailing my fingers against the bark of the trees. I had only walked a few yards before I noticed a slight clearing through the trees. Once I stepped through the small mass of trees, I couldn't help but gasp. The clearing was actually a meadow. It had luscious green grass and small flowers blooming at various parts. I smiled, knowing where I could now escape when I wanted to be alone.

"Princess!" Thalia called. "Annabeth, dinner!"

I inhaled the crisp night air. All was quiet besides the low chirping of the crickets. It was around midnight at the time. Everybody was asleep by now, and I figured this was the perfect time for me to visit that meadow I'd discovered. With a lantern in one hand and one of my favorite books in the other, I walked to the clearing. I took a seat under a tree, setting the lantern down.

Absorbed in the story, I didn't hear the quiet footsteps approaching me. "You shouldn't be out here at this time of day," said a voice behind me. I jumped and turned to see Percy stepping out from the shadows.

"Don't do that! You startled me," I said. He laughed and took a seat next to me.

He said, "As I was saying, it's dangerous to be wandering out in the woods alone."

"Camp isn't too far away. I am fairly capable of handling myself," I said, shrugging. Percy chuckled. "I'm sure you can."

I sighed and set aside my book. Obviously, reading wasn't going to be an option with him sitting beside me. "How's your arm?" I asked.

He rolled up his sleeve. His arm was now bandaged and it seemed like the bleeding had stopped. "Thalia's done a good job with it," I acknowledged. He smiled, leaning back against the tree trunk. I followed his action, gazing up at the sky. We sat in a comfortable silence, soaking in the presence of one another.

"The night really is beautiful," I spoke up, breaking the silence.

"Yes, you really are," whispered Percy. I blinked, unable to comprehend what he'd said.

"What did you just say?" I asked. He shook his head and said, "N-nothing. Nevermind."

I nodded and decided to drop the subject. Suddenly, Percy grinned devilishly. He stood up and stepped in front of me. He bowed and said, "Please to meet you, Lady Annabeth. I am Lord Jackson. Lovely night for an activity, isn't it?" He had portrayed a haughty tone while saying this. It slightly reminded me of one of nobles of my father's court. I laughed and stood up.

"Hello Lord Jackson," I said, curtsying. "Yes, it is a lovely night. What sort of activity would be gracious for such a lovely night?" My tone mimicked his. He grinned and gave a snobbish chortle. I had to bite my tongue to refrain from laughing.

"Why dancing of course!" he exclaimed. I giggled. Percy bowed once more, looking up at me. He said, softly, "May I have this dance?"

I laughed. "Of course, Lord Jackson!" He smiled and shook his head. "No. May _I_ have this dance?" I stopped laughing and looked him in the eye. I gave him a genuine smile before whispering, "Of course."

Percy stuck out his hand, and I slipped mine into his. I took a step closer to him. He placed his other hand on my waist while I put mine on his shoulder. We started waltzing around the meadow. All the while, I couldn't help but laugh. Percy was grinning at me, his eyes shining brighter than the stars above our heads. Every so often, he would twirl me, resulting in a giggle bursting through my lips. We continued waltzing into the night, without a care in the world. We were in our own world. I wasn't the princess and he wasn't my protector. We were just Percy and Annabeth. For once, my life was perfect.

**A/N: I think that was my best ending so far. Don't you just love the last part of this chapter? I know I do! Oh and imagine them dancing to the beat of Fly to Your Heart by Selena Gomez. That's how I imagined their waltzing to be like. It just felt right. Anyway, I do hope you guys liked this chapter. It's definitely my favorite. I had a lot of fun writing it. Please review and let me know what you thought about the chapter. I'll try my best to update soon, but there are no guarantees. School is coming up!**

**P.S. When he asks her to dance, it slightly refers to a part in Rebel Angels of the Gemma Doyle Trilogy. They're really good books.**


	5. Why Can't They Confess?

**A/N: Oh my cookies! I am sincerely, utterly, immensely sorry! I cannot believe I haven't update in, what, 3 weeks? Oh god, I am so sorry. This is probably the part where I dodge those invisible arrows, but I'd rather not. Again, I apologize for my very long delay in updating. I actually received two PM's telling me to update. (Which I found very flattering.) It's just that I was really busy with family and then school started and all that other crap. But anyway, I am back with the next chapter. So just be happy that it's updated! Ok I've kept you waiting long enough. Enjoy the chapter and please review! I've got more to say at the bottom.**

**By the way, this chapter is the first one that is in Third Person POV. I had to change the POV in order for the chapter to work. So hope there's no confusion.**

**DISCLAIMER: You know the drill.**

Annabeth's eyes fluttered open. She slowly sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Her eyes widened when last night flooded into her head. She noticed her surroundings for the first time. There was the same meadow in front of her. She had fallen asleep here, after her dance with Percy. _Percy!_ she thought.

A snore arose from her right. Surely enough, there was Percy, sprawled on his back. His hands were resting on his stomach, and his mouth was slightly open, causing a trail of saliva to fall from the corner of his mouth. Annabeth thought he looked adorable, but giggled at how ridiculous he still looked at the moment.

"Percy! Princess!" Grover's voice cried. The princess snapped her head up. She attempted to wake up her protector, but the process took longer than she hoped. "Wake up, Percy! Wake up!" hissed Annabeth. She roughly shook him by the shoulders until his eyes slowly opened.

"Get up now," Annabeth whispered. Percy rubbed his eyes and yawned. When he seemed to have recovered from his grogginess, the memories of last night flooded into his head. He blinked a few times, drinking in the presence of Annabeth. Finally, he spoke up, "Did last night really happen, Princess?" It all seemed like a dream.

The princess nodded. "I would hope it did." They shared a smile. Another voice called their names.

"Well, I think it's best that we head back. Grover and Thalia are probably worried about us," said Percy. Annabeth nodded. Percy held out his hand to help her up. She gladly accepted. They walked back to the camp site in a comfortable silence. Once the tents were in sight, Thalia and Grover's voices were heard.

"Hello?" asked Annabeth, a little hesitant. The other two turned towards her and talked over the other's voice.

Grover said, "Thank goodness." He was, of course, overpowered by Thalia yelling, "Where were you two?"

"Calm down, Thalia. We were just in the meadow over there, past the few trees," answered Percy. He pointed to where the meadow would have been.

"And what, pray tell, were you two doing there in the first place? We were worried sick when we didn't find either of you in your tents," Thalia said furiously.

Annabeth sighed. "Thalia, please relax. I couldn't sleep last night so I went out to that meadow to read. Percy found me out there. We started to…" She stopped herself. Thalia would probably laugh if she was told that they were dancing. "…talk. Next thing we knew, we fell asleep right at that meadow."

Thalia frowned. "Well next time you wander off like that, at least say something so we know where you are. Now go pack up. We need to leave now."

With that, she trudged off to her tent. Grover sighed and followed through with her order. He turned to take down his tent. Before he turned, Grover looked at Annabeth and grinned.

"I think it's best you tell him, Princess," he said, using a finger to swipe from the corner of his lips to his chin.

Annabeth laughed. "Don't worry, I will."

Grover nodded, bowed, and jogged to his tent. Meanwhile, Percy faced Annabeth with a very much confused look on his face.

"Tell who what?" asked Percy.

Annabeth replied, "You drool in your sleep."

Percy then hastily wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt. Annabeth refrained from laughing at him, but tears were forming at the corners of her eyes.

"Is it off?" asked Percy.

"Here," sighed Annabeth. She grabbed the sleeve that he had used and brought it up to where his drool had been. Her eyes traveled to his, locking eyes. Both froze as they continued to stare in the other's eyes. Annabeth was the first to snap out of her reverie.

She cleared her throat and said, "We should go get ready."

"Um, yes, we should," murmured Percy, trying not to sound too disappointed. Annabeth released her grip on the sleeve and slowly walked to Fawna. Percy strode to his unused tent, blushing furiously. Little did he know that his reason for blushing was blushing as well, with him in her mind.

* * *

"Alright, ladies, we need to get some rest. That inn will be fine for us to lodge in," announced Thalia, not a moment too soon as their small party trotted into the next town. The horse were tied at the back of the inn, where a large trough had already been placed. It seemed a reasonable area for them to be staying in.

"We need to gather more supplies. Let's separate in order to run the errands," stated Thalia. The four were now standing at the front of the inn. Percy leaned over to Annabeth, making sure only she would hear him whisper, "Who put her in charge?" Annabeth had to press her lips together in order to stifle her laughter.

Thalia continued, "Grover, you and Percy shall go retrieve camp supplies. I will take Princess Annabeth to get our other necessities. And don't you dare think that she won't be safe in my arms." Thalia gave Percy a pointed look before linking arms with the princess. "Dismissed."

Percy gave Thalia a mock two-finger and Annabeth a small wink, causing her to blush furiously. Grover bowed to the princess, nudging Percy. Percy quickly reminded himself that Annabeth was still royalty before bowing as well. The two young men set off, leaving their lady companions to finish their task as well.

"What exactly do we need to get, Thalia?" asked Annabeth.  
"We are going shopping. It's about time you get more dresses," replied Thalia. Annabeth groaned and trudged behind Thalia as they went in search of a proper dress shop. After about a dozen different shops, Thalia finally deemed one worthy.

"Finally!" shouted Annabeth, making sure to exaggerate a little. Thalia rolled her eyes, pulling Annabeth into the shop. She had to admit, Thalia's choice was definitely worth it. Unlike Matilda's small waiting area, this shop displayed its different styles out front. There were dresses hanging on the walls, others on makeshift racks. It was every medieval young woman's dream come true.

A girl around their age stepped from behind the counter. She had light brown hair, tied in a tight braid. Small flowers were woven into the braid. The girl was so naturally beautiful, both Annabeth and Thalia secretly envied her. She curtsied to Annabeth, greeting her. "Princess. It is such an honor to have you in our shop."

Annabeth smiled at the girl before saying, "I am pleased to be here. May I ask of your name?"

"Calypso, my lady," the girl, Calypso, replied softly. "Please, take a look around. We've just received the latest fashions. If you need any help, Princess, feel free to call me."

The princess opened her mouth to say something, but Thalia cut her off. "That will be all. Thank you."

Calypso curtsied once more before padding back to the counter. Once she had gone, Thalia grabbed as many dresses as she could, throwing them all to Annabeth. Luckily, Annabeth managed to catch all the dresses before they hit the floor.

"Thalia, why do I have to try on all of these?" asked Annabeth. Thalia merely rolled her eyes, placing another dress on the already large pile.

"Don't you have eyes, Annabeth? These dresses are the latest in fashion. Some of them haven't even been sold yet at the palace!" exclaimed Thalia. It was Annabeth's turn to roll her eyes. Even if Thalia put on her tough facade around everybody, she could be such a girl sometimes.

"Fine. I'll try on these dresses. But on one condition," said Annabeth. Thalia quirked an eyebrow in response.

"You have to try on these dresses as well," continued Annabeth. Thalia smirked and grabbed half of the dresses from the stack in Annabeth's arms. She pushed Annabeth behind one of the curtains used for changing, then slipped behind another curtain herself.

"So what's with you and Percy?" asked Thalia. She slipped on her dress, waiting for Annabeth to answer, while she straightened out the dress.

Annabeth scoffed. "What do you mean by that?"

"You know what I mean," Annabeth could practically see Thalia roll her eyes. "You guys look like you've been really close lately."

"Thalia, please just leave the matter alone. Percy and I are just friends, best friends if you would go that far," said Annabeth. She pulled on the dress. It was a rather formal dress. The color was a calming blue, reflecting that of the ocean. The corset fit snugly and the skirt was more fitted, resulting in her steps being only about a few inches apart.

Annabeth stepped out of her stall to take a look in the looking glass. She noticed that the dress showed curves in places she'd never realized she had. The dress was more revealing than she thought. Just then, Thalia stepped out wearing a deep blue peasant dress. It brought out her eyes and actually made her look more attractive. She examined her reflection, enjoying the look of the dress. It was more modern than most of her other dresses. Thalia turned around to look at Annabeth. Her eyeballs nearly popped out of their sockets when she saw Annabeth.

Thalia gave a low, long whistle. "Goodness, Annabeth. You look…you look…wow…just wow. I don't think you'll be doing any gentlemen good once you step outside in that dress. They won't be having very chaste thoughts once they see you."

Annabeth blushed. "Thanks. It's a little too revealing for my taste, though."

"Are you kidding!" exclaimed Thalia. "Get the dress. It's perfect for you. You'll never know when you'll need it."

"Fine," huffed Annabeth. She grabbed a simpler dress from her large pile and disappeared behind the curtain. Thalia followed her lead, trying on a ball gown this time. Annabeth was the first to step out. She was waiting for Thalia to help her button up the back of her dress. She turned just in time to see Thalia step out from behind the curtain, wearing a beautiful satin ball gown. It was a sleeveless black dress with a flared skirt.

"That dress looks beautiful on you, Thalia," said Annabeth. She pushed Thalia to the looking glass for a better look.

"It is a beautiful dress," Thalia admitted. "I think I'll get it." Annabeth rolled her eyes. It was just like Thalia to make hasty decisions like this. She then asked Thalia to help her button up her dress. As Thalia buttoned up the dress she spoke up, "Are you sure there's nothing going on between you and Percy?"

"How many times do I have to say it?" asked Annabeth, exasperatedly.

Thalia replied, "I'm serious. There is some sort of chemistry between you two."

"You won't shut up until I admit it, will you?" Annabeth asked. Thalia shook her head in response.

Annabeth sighed. "Well, I guess I do fancy him a little. There's just something about him that makes me feel warm inside whenever I'm accompanied by him."

"You're in love!" Thalia sing-songed. In return, she earned a slap on the arm from Annabeth. "Be quiet, Thalia!" hissed Annabeth.

Thalia quirked an eyebrow. "Well, are you?"

"I wouldn't call it love…yet," replied Annabeth. By the tone of her voice, Thalia knew she refused to carry the conversation any further. They left the subject alone for the remainder of the day.

* * *

Grover held up a can and squinted at the label. "_Insects Away Spray_. Should we get this?" He turned to Percy, who was looking at different boxes of matches. When Percy didn't answer, Grover exclaimed, "Percy!"

"What?" Percy's head snapped up. "Oh right. Yes. Get it."

Grover gave him a funny look. Percy frowned. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because you've been very distant since this morning. Is something the matter?" asked Grover.

"No, Grover, everything is fine," replied Percy, sighing. He knew he couldn't lie to his best friend like that. Besides, Grover could already see right through it.

"It's a girl, isn't it?" Grover stated. Percy's eyebrows shot up and he hurriedly said, "No! No! Not at all." Grover raised an eyebrow, expecting Percy to give in and tell the truth. Percy ran a hand through his hair, exhaling slowly. "Yes, it's a girl."

"Well? Who is it?" pressed Grover.

"It's," Percy started. Grover made a gesture to have him continue. "It's Princess Annabeth."

Grover's jaw hit the floor, his eyes wide in shock. Percy would have laughed if not for the awkwardness of their conversation. Instead, Grover laughed at Percy after he recovered from shock. "She is way out of your league, lad."

Percy glared at him. "I knew that, but I can't help that I lo-like her." His cheeks burned as he realized what he was about to say. Luckily, Grover didn't seem to notice.

"There are probably thousands of other gentlemen admirers of the princess, Percy. Plus, the whole reason why we're on this journey in the first place is because she's getting _married. _To a _prince_," said Grover.

Percy sighed. "I know. It's just there's something about her that makes her different. She's not like other girls, and definitely not what others think of as a princess. She's brilliant, brave, beautiful, and funny. She's everything I'd want in a girl."

"You've got it bad," said Grover.

"No kidding. I just wish there was a way that we could possibly be together. But it's as if every force in the universe is preventing that from happening: she's getting married, she's royalty, and I'm just a peasant boy. Why would she court a peasant boy?" replied Percy.

Grover put a hand on his friend's shoulder, sympathizing him. "I'm sorry. Sometimes things just don't work out that way. If it makes you feel any better, I won't be a force preventing you from being with her."

Percy smiled. He returned to looking for more supplies for the rest of the journey, ending the conversation. Grover sighed, gave one last look at Percy, before turning his attention back to the shelf of camping essentials.

* * *

Annabeth stared up at the ceiling. She was lying in bed, unable to sleep. Her conversation with Thalia at the dress shop was replaying in her head. Was she in love? It couldn't be possible. She'd only met Percy a few days ago. She couldn't have fallen in love that quickly. Annabeth refused to think so. _But you want to very much,_ a voice said in the back of her head. She ignored the voice. Instead, Annabeth got out of her bed. She put on a cloak and headed outside.

There was a creek nearby that Annabeth has seen while she was walking back to the inn. She decided this would be the perfect place to clear her head. Looking up at the stars, she took a seat by the creak. She closed her eyes and listened to the relaxing sounds of nature.

"Do you tend to do this a lot?" a voice asked from behind her. Annabeth knew all too well whom the voice belonged to. Eyes still closed, she replied, "This is only the second time I've done this."

The person plopped down next her. He laid his head on his head, looking up at the night sky. "What brings you out here?"

Annabeth opened her eyes and turned to him. "I would ask you the same thing."

"I saw you sneaking outside. I needed to make sure you were out of danger," he replied. Annabeth rolled her eyes. "You don't always have to be so protective."

"Yes I do. I'm your personal protector, remember? And you still didn't answer my question, what are you doing out here?" he asked.

"I just needed to clear my head. Something Thalia told me has been bothering me," said Annabeth.

He suggested, "You can tell me what's been bothering you. It might help." Annabeth shook her head. She did not want to tell anybody of her conversation, especially not Percy.

"Fine. Just know that if you need to talk about anything, I'm always here," Percy said.

Annabeth smiled. "Thanks. You really are a great friend." Percy nodded. He brought his hands from behind his head, using his elbows to prop him up. "There is one thing I'm curious, though, Princess."

"And what's that?"

"Do you really want to marry this prince? Is there still doubt?"

"Well, of course there's doubt. I'll always wonder how things would turn out if I had actually fallen in love with the man before I married him." Annabeth sighed. She pulled her knees up to her chest, staring at the water.

"What if you fell in love with somebody who wouldn't necessary qualify for the throne?" Percy asked, softly. Annabeth frowned. She turned to look at him, but was surprised at the lack of distance between them. Their shoulders were about an inch away from touching.

Annabeth looked at Percy confusedly. "What do you mean by that?

"I meant, what if you fell in love with a peasant?"

"I guess it could be possible," said Annabeth, oblivious to what Percy was hinting at. Percy sighed, gazing longingly at Annabeth as she continued to stare at the flowing creek. The two stayed in a comfortable silence, enjoying each other's company. After what seemed like hours, Percy spoke up, "It's best we get back, Princess. We wouldn't want another incident like this morning."

Annabeth blushed. "Yes we should." Percy stood up and held out a hand to help the princess up. She gladly slid hers into his. She stood up, brushing off the bits of grass that had stuck to her cloak and nightgown.

"Thank you, Percy. For everything."

"It was my pleasure, Princess."

Annabeth placed a hand on Percy's arm and smiled. "You can call me Annabeth."

Percy grinned. "I'd like that."

**A/N: I loved the ending. I just loved that. I had the most fun writing this chapter and I hope you guys enjoyed reading it. I know it was shorter than my last one, but I liked the length. I thought it was the right amount for it. Don't worry, I promise I will make the next chapter nice and long. I kept listening to "The Only Exception" by Paramore while I was writing this chapter. So go listen to it cause it's an awesome song!**

**Also! Thank you to all of my readers and reviewers. You guys are really the ones who inspire me to write my chapters. I hope that I didn't lose any readers, but if I did, at least I still have you guys reading and reviewing my story. I'd also like personally to thank ...123 and Loving Percabeth for sending those PM's that really pushed me to finishing this chapter. Anyway, I'm sorry I didn't update in such a long time. I will try my best to get the next chapter up as soon as possible. Please review!**

**Love and always,  
****storyteller1425**


	6. Why Isn't It Any Easier?

**A/N: OH MY GOD. I am extremely, terribly sorry for not updating sooner. I can't believe I haven't updated in over a month. I feel so horrible. I probably lost many readers. But for those of you who are currently reading this Author's Note and will read this chapter, I am very grateful. I have many excuses in mind: school, family, more school, and the Lost Hero. I'm not going into any details. Anyway, I'll stop boring you with this and let you continue with the story.**

**DISCLAIMER: Really? I mean, really. It makes no sense at all. Also, any lines that you may recognize from various books do not belong to me.**

The smell of crisp bacon and eggs carried me downstairs. I yawned and rubbed my eyes before entering the dining room. Percy, Thalia, and Grover were already seated at the table. Grover was hungrily eating his eggs while Percy and Thalia seemed to be keeping a slower pace. I sat in between Percy and Thalia, though Thalia was sitting at the head of the table. They mumbled groggy "Good mornings" before continuing with their breakfast. I reached across Percy to grab the cereal container and milk jug.

As I poured the milk, I asked, "When are we leaving?"

"Right after we finish breakfast," replied Thalia. I nodded and continued eating. Breakfast went by in a comfortable silence, with only the occasionally slurp or murmur of satisfaction from Grover.

I got up to put my utensils into the wash bowl. Percy immediately followed my action, whisking the contents away from my hand.

"Hey!" I protested. I rushed to him, trying to grab the bowl from him. He held it high above his head. I had to jump to try and reach it, but Percy was much taller than me.

He started laughing. "Come on, Annabeth, lighten up. I am just being a gentleman and putting away your bowl for you."

I glared at him and stuck out my tongue. Thalia and Grover looked at us with surprised expressions on their face.

"Annabeth? She is already allowing you to call her by her first name?" asked Thalia. I shrugged. "We are good friends now. I think he has a right to call me Annabeth."

Percy grinned, winked at me, and quickly dropped off the bowls and utensils into the wash bowl. I tried to hide my blush, but to no avail

"You're blushing," whispered Thalia. I slapped her arm and hissed, "Shut up." I felt myself turn redder as she smirked.

I took a seat once more, waiting for Grover and Thalia to finish their breakfast. It did not take very long, considering they had both started eating before me. Thalia immediately sent us to pack our belongings. She ordered us to be down in five minutes. I rolled my eyes and said under my breath, "Yes, mother." Percy, standing beside me, stifled a laugh. I grinned and jogged upstairs.

Packing didn't take very long for me. We had only spent one night at the inn. I brought my bags downstairs, where an impatient Thalia was waiting for me.

"We need to go now. Why are those boys taking so long?" asked Thalia.

I sighed. "It hasn't even been five minutes, Thalia. You specifically said to come back in five minutes."

Just then, a thump was heard from the top of the stairs. Percy and Grover were both carrying large bags.

"We're ready!" exclaimed Grover. They ran down the stairs and practically sprinted out to the horses.

Thalia rolled her eyes. "Boys."

I smiled in response and carried my bags out. By the time Thalia and I reached the horses, they were all ready for the journey. Percy, being the gentleman he claimed he was, grabbed my bags and put them in the saddlebags for me.

Once our steeds were ready, we immediately set off for the remainder of our journey. Thalia had said that we had only a few hours until we reached the palace.

The hours passed by. We kept ourselves occupied with small conversations and games. It was the most fun I had while riding a horse. We continued doing such things until we came into a town, and the castle was very much visible from there.

"Look! We're almost there!" exclaimed Thalia. She was grinning from ear to ear.

I raised an eyebrow. "You look awfully excited to be here."

"Oh, I don't care," she said, feigning nonchalance.

"Alright then," I said.

I wasn't sure how much longer until we reached the castle, but before I knew it, we were at the entrance to the palace. Two soldiers were standing guard at the entrance, asking each person who entered what their business was.

As we approached them, one of them yelled, "State your business!"

I cleared my throat and spoke in a formal voice. "Princess Annabeth and her escort, here to meet with the king and his son."

Both guards exploded with laughter. At one point, they were laughing so hard that tears fell from their eyes. Once they regained their composure, the other guard spoke.

"Do you really think we would fall for that? You don't know how many times a day we've had young maidens pretend they are the princess in order to meet with the prince," he said.

I glared at him. The other three stared at us as we disputed, not bothering to say a word. Percy leaned over to me and said quietly, "Perhaps it would help if you put your crown on."

My mouth formed an "O" as his words sunk in. I rummaged through one of the saddlebags until I felt my crown. I took it out and placed it on my head. The burden was something I would have to get used to once more. I had not worn it the entire journey here.

When the two guards laid eyes on my crown, their faces paled.

"Princess! W-w-we apologize. F-forgive us, Princess," one of the guards managed to stutter.

"Let us escort you, Princess," said the other. They bowed and motioned for us to go on.

The palace grounds were almost exactly the same as ours. There were busy merchants, yelling out their products and the prices. Children were running about the streets, playing tag. You'd see the occasionally horse-drawn carriage, most likely carrying a nobleman.

"It feels like home," Thalia sighed. I smiled at her. She was right. Everything about this place reminded me so much of home.

Percy came up beside me, obviously wanting to talk. I spoke up first.

"Thank you," I said.

"For what?" asked Percy.

"For reminding me about my crown. I can't believe I was so stupid!" I exclaimed.

Percy grinned. "You were not stupid. You were just caught in the moment. You needed an extra head to help you out."

"Yes, well, I can't believe that extra head was full of kelp," I teased.

"For your information, I do not spend as much time at the beach anymore. Stop being such a smart aleck," he replied.

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever, Seaweed Brain."

"You know, just because Thalia has a nickname for me doesn't mean you can come up with one like that," he said, pouting.

"Stop moping. You know it was bound to happen sooner or later," I said, grinning.

"Fine then. If you get to have a nickname for me, I shall make a nickname for you."

"And what would that be?"

"How about Wise Girl!"

I laughed. "Is that really the best you can do?"

Percy shrugged. "You think you're all wise and smart, with your clever remarks. I do believe that name suits you."

"Hey you two. Stop your bantering or, rather, flirting," Thalia cut in. I felt my face heat up and was relieved to see that Percy's was turning red as well.

"We are entering castle grounds. It's best we dismount our horses before we enter the castle," continued Thalia. Both of us nodded. We stayed silent for the remainder of the time on our steeds.

The soldiers led us to the stables, where we dismounted our horses. They told us that we need only to enter the throne room.

"Your belongings will be taken care of. We apologize that we cannot escort you to the castle. Our duties are of palace grounds," one of the soldiers said, still avoiding eye contact. Both bowed and marched away.

"They were scared of you," stated Percy, with an amused expression on his face.

I laughed. "They should be." He smiled in response, and the four of us proceeded to the castle. The walk was not as long as I had thought it would be. It took us less than five minutes until we were standing at the entrance to the throne room.

I gulped and tried to silently reassure myself that everything would turn out great. Thalia gave my arm a squeeze. "Nervous?"

"Very much," I nodded. I took a deep breath before gesturing the guards to open the doors. I nodded a thank you to them and slowly walked into the room.

The king and queen were staring intently at me from their large thrones. Off to the side was a slightly smaller throne, where I presumed the prince was sitting. Their gazes would have intimidated me if not for the enormous grins on their faces.

"Princess Annabeth!" the king's voice boomed. "Welcome to Castella kingdom! It is such a pleasure to have you here."

I curtsied and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty. It is an honor to be here."

"I am glad you are pleasant with your stay. Now, let us properly introduce ourselves. And it would help if I knew who your company is. I, of course, am King Hermes. This is my wife, Queen May, and our son, Prince Luke. Who are your friends?," said King Hermes.

"This is Thalia Grace, Percy Jackson, and Grover Underwood, Your Highness," I answered.

The three bowed and curtsied. A grin exploded onto King Hermes' face. "I can already tell these are wonderful people. Now why don't you four go clean up? We've arranged four chambers for you. Please settle in and get comfortable."

Two maids appeared next to the thrones. We followed them through a door in the back of the throne room. The chambers were not very far and I easily memorized the passageways that we walked through. We stopped in front of two large doors.

"Princess, your chambers are through this door. Your lady-in-waiting will have her chambers joined with yours so that you two may have easy access to each other's rooms," said one of the maids.

The other maid turned to Percy and Grover. "Please follow me. I will direct you to your chambers." She looked at Percy, batted her eyes, and smiled flirtatiously at him. He seemed unfazed by her actions. I, on the other hand, noticed everything. As the maid guided the two boys away, I trudged back into my chambers, fuming.

"Did you see the way that maid looked at him? She was practically throwing herself at him. It was utterly disgusting!" I exclaimed.

Thalia raised an eyebrow. "Jealous much?"

"I am not!"

She rolled her eyes at me and muttered, "You so are."

Then she said in a louder voice, "If you will excuse me, I must go and unpack now."

I waved her off dismissively, hoping she would know what I meant. Thalia, being Thalia, understood exactly and was all too eager to run off. I sighed and proceeded to unpack as well.

A knock came from the main doors of my chambers. "Princess!" Percy's voice called. I rushed to open one of the doors.

"Yes?" I said, facing Percy.

"Dinner is in half an hour," he said.

I replied, "Thank you for telling me. I will see you at dinnertime." Before he could say anything else, I closed the door.

* * *

Thalia and I were escorted to the dining hall by two maids. We had both changed into new clothes. While Thalia adorned a regular peasant dress, I was forced into a fancier attire.

"You need to impress the royal family by dressing like a princess should," Thalia had told me. Despite my protests, she managed to slide the dress on me. It really was no use arguing with her.

As we entered the dining hall, I took in the interior design of it. It was much grander than ours back home. The ceiling was high, a giant chandelier hanging at the center. The table was longer than I had expected. Butlers, maids, and cooks were bustling in and out of the kitchen doors at the far end of the hall.

The maids guided us to our seats. I was to sit at one end of the table, facing where the king would sit at the head of the table. Thalia would sit to my right.

"Princess, please take a seat. The king and princes, as well as the other guests will be here shortly," said one of the maids. I nodded curtly before taking a seat. Thalia followed my action. After the maids curtsied and left, Percy and Grover entered the hall.

Grover whistled. "This is some dining hall."

Both boys smiled at us before taking a seat. Percy took the seat to my left while Grover sat next to him.

"This is going to be one long dinner," Percy remarked, leaning towards my direction.

I nodded. "Absolutely."

We waited a few minutes until the king and prince entered. All of us rose and curtsied and bowed before the king motioned for us to sit.

"I take it that all of you have safely found your chambers," said King Hermes.

"Yes, Your Majesty," I replied.

King Hermes grinned. "Wonderful! Now, enough with the chit-chat. Let us feast!" He clapped his hands. We began eating, and I didn't realize how hungry I was until I took my first bite of the lamb chops.

Dinner went by in silence. Normally, I would strike up a conversation back at home, but I felt it unnecessary to do so at that moment. When it seemed like we had finished, the king spoke up.

"I probably should have mentioned this earlier, but I apologize my wife could not attend dinner tonight. She is traveling out of the castle with a few of her friends," said King Hermes.

I smiled. "It was no problem at all, Your Highness."

"I am glad. Now, since we have all finished our dinner, I think it is best you spend some quality time with Prince Luke. You two are going to get married after all. How about you invite Princess Annabeth for a night stroll, Luke?" King Hermes asked.

Prince Luke blushed and gave a pointed look at his father. He nodded before saying, "Would you excuse me?"

"Of course, my boy!" boomed the king. "Now go, you two. Go on, Princess. Enjoy your walk."

I stood up, curtsied, and walked to Prince Luke. He held out his arm for me to take. I looped mine through his. I glanced back at my friend. Thalia was beaming at us, and Grover smirked. But Percy's expression bothered me the most. He was glaring in my direction, specifically Luke. I did not know the reason, but I planned to ask after my walk.

* * *

Prince Luke and I walked in an awkward silence at first. I wasn't sure of what to talk about. Judging by how tense he looked, I could tell he wasn't comfortable either.

I decided to speak up. "Well, this is becoming awkward."

He laughed. "I apologize. This is all still very surreal for me."

I sighed. "I know exactly how you feel. It isn't every day that you have to marry somebody you don't even know."

"Precisely. But I guess getting to know them is one step closer to a better marriage."

"Well, what would you like to know about me?" I asked, smiling. He bombarded me with questions, from what my favorite color was to my interests.

"That's enough," I said, laughing. He grinned at me, flashing a row of white teeth. "It is your turn now." I asked him the same questions, earning a few bizarre answers. We continued talking for a while, gradually becoming more comfortable with the other's presence.

"I have got to admit, Prince Luke, that this walk has been quite entertaining for me," I said, after we had calmed down from our laughter.

"The feeling is mutual," he said, smiling warmly at me. We were now in one of the outdoor corridors, where we had the perfect view of the moon. I turned to face him. I couldn't help but notice how handsome he looked under the moonlight. Suddenly, I felt myself leaning towards him. I was surprised to see that he was leaning towards me as well. When our lips were a mere centimeter apart, I heard a loud scraping noise behind me.

I turned to where I had heard the noise. "Did you hear that?" I asked.

"Hear what?" replied Prince Luke.

"There was a scraping noise coming from that end of the corridor," I said.

Prince Luke shook his head. "I did not hear anything."

"I am absolutely sure I heard something making that noise. It was almost like somebody shuffling their feet behind there," I said. I walked over to the end of the corridor, only to find that nobody was there.

I frowned and muttered, "I could have sworn…" I shook my head. "Never mind. I was probably just imagining it. Well, it is getting late. I best be getting to bed now."

Prince Luke nodded and gestured for me to follow him. The walk to my chambers was silent. After what had happened, or rather what had almost happened, I was not in the mood to talk to him.

As we neared my chambers, I saw Percy walking to his. He froze mid-step as he saw us walking towards him.

"What are you still doing out?" I asked him.

He shrugged. "I was out on a walk myself."

Prince Luke raised an eyebrow but said nothing else. He turned to me, planted a kiss on my cheek, and told me goodnight. My cheeks began to color as I watched him walk away.

Percy was glaring at Prince Luke, just like he had when we were about to take our walk.

I frowned. "Percy, what is your problem with Prince Luke? You've done nothing but glare at him since we've come here."

"I just don't like how he looks at you," replied Percy.

"Oh really? And how exactly does he look at me?" I asked, placing my hands on my hips.

"He looks at you with this sort of hunger in his eyes. He looks at you as if you are something to eat," said Percy.

I snorted. "You actually think he looks at me like that? I have not noticed it."

"Well, of course you haven't! You are too busy ogling him. Your face is still red from that kiss he gave you!" he exclaimed.

I felt my face redden. "It was just a small kiss on the cheek. It meant nothing."

Percy scoffed. "Yes. Certainly nothing compared to the kiss you almost shared with him."

"I will have you know that–" I narrowed my eyes. "How did you know we almost kissed? Were you spying on us?"

He gulped and laughed nervously. "I wasn't, um, exactly spying–"

I gasped. "You were the one who was shuffling at the end of the corridor! You made the noise!"

"Only because you were about to kiss him!" Percy spat out the last two words. It was then that I came to a conclusion.

"You're jealous," I said, disbelievingly. "You didn't want me to kiss him so you made those noises. That's why you were glaring at Prince Luke."

Percy blushed.

"That explains why you seemed to loathe Nico so much, especially after he kissed me," I continued. It all made sense. I still couldn't grasp at the fact that he was jealous. Percy was jealous! This feeling of pride and flattery took over my body. I felt a grin explode on my face.

"Why are you smiling?" asked Percy, still red-faced.

I shook my head. "Oh, nothing. Nothing at all."

"Well, goodnight then," he mumbled.

"Goodnight." I opened the door and stepped inside. Once the door was closed, I leaned against it. The grin was still plastered on my face. A warm feeling washed over me as I practically glided to my bed. I fell back onto the mattress.

I heaved a long sigh of contentment. My mind was racing, thinking about my heated conversation with Percy. Percy was jealous, and Prince Luke thought I was delicious? I sighed frustratingly. My life was not going get any easier.

**A/N: Well, I hope all of you enjoyed that chapter. I love a jealous Percy. Please review and tell me your thoughts on the chapter.**

**Also, for those of you who have already finished reading the Lost Hero, you probably understand how much pain I am in, just thinking about the unbearable wait before the next book comes out. That was probably another factor in delaying my update for this story.**

**Anyway, again, please review! I would like to know if you liked this chapter, if you didn't like it, what ways to improve it, etc. I will try my best to update as soon as I can, but I can't promise a quick update. School has been killing me with loads of homework and tests. Again, I am absolutely sorry for not updating soon, but don't blame it all on me! Have fun reading, my fellow readers, and read the Lost Hero if you haven't yet. It's a seriously amazing book.**


	7. Why Is It So Perfect?

**A/N: Oh my goodness. I am so so so so so (times a million) so so sorry! I can't believe I haven't update in over three months. I'm such a lousy author. Will you guys forgive me? :'(**

**Well, to make up for my atrocious absence, I gave you this nice long chapter. I'm pretty sure most of you will be happy with it by the end. I know I loved the ending. Plus, I've been planning the end of this chapter since the very beginning of this story. I won't bore you with any more details because you guys have waited long enough. But I assure you I will have a very long author's note at the bottom.**

**DISCLAIMER: I am not Rick Riordan, nor do I want to be. If I owned PJO, I would just screw it up. All rights go to Mr. Riordan.**

"What items are we getting, Thalia?" I asked. Thalia and I had woken early in the morning, much earlier than the royal family. We were a bit accustomed to our sleeping habits during the journey here. Once we finished our breakfast, we decided to visit the marketplace of the palace. The boys were not yet awake, but we were planning on having a picnic with them at lunchtime.

"Well, I know that the kitchen staff will prepare us the entree. I say we shop for some fruits and dessert," replied Thalia. I agreed with her, and the two of us walked to the vendor selling produce. We filled a bag with assorted fruits, payed the man, and asked him where the nearest bakery was.

"You just head straight down this same pathway, toward the castle. The bakery should be to your right," he told us.

I thanked the man and turned to leave, but stopped when he asked, "Did anyone tell you that you look a lot like that princess that arrived yesterday?"

"Oh! Um, no, nobody has," I replied.

He grunted, "Well, somebody could easily mistake you for her."

The way he turned his head in a different direction told me that he no longer needed to talk to me. Thalia and I continued walking in the direction he had told us.

"Well, that was close. Somebody could've caught you as Princess," said Thalia.

I nodded. "If I weren't wearing this casual outfit, I'm sure everybody would know who I was the moment I stepped into this marketplace."

We walked past the bustling people of the streets, trying our best to look for the bakery. Finally, Thalia spotted the sign and dragged me to it. The bell above the door tinkled as we entered the bakery. The sweet scent of pastries lingered in the air. I walked to the counter, where a young man was standing.

"How may I help you today, miss?" he asked, flashing a grin.

I replied, "I'd like to buy a dozen assorted pastries, please."

"A dozen? Are you sure? That's quite an awful lot," he said with wide eyes.

"Yes. I'm positive."

He sighed. "Alright then. One dozen pastries coming right up!"

The man pushed through the door behind him. I heard shouts from the other side of it, but not his own. After a few minutes, the shouting quited down. Thalia and I waited longer than we expected for the pastries.

When the door burst open again, Thalia muttered, rather exasperatedly, "Finally!"

The man was carrying a large box. I assumed that our pastries were in there. He grinned apologetically at us and said, "So sorry for the wait. We've never had such a large order."

I gave him my best smile and said, "It's fine really."

I paid him for the pastries and handed the box to Thalia. We thanked the man and left before he could say anything else.

* * *

Once safely back in the castle, Thalia and I headed to the kitchen with the goods we'd bought. As I expected, the kitchen was packed full of staff. We quickly found Helen, the head chef, barking orders at some of the kitchen staff.

"Helen!" Thalia yelled over the commotion.

Helen snapped her head in our direction, wearing a frown. When she saw who it was, smiled. "Princess! How was your shopping?"

"It was pleasant, thank you, Helen," I replied. "Did you finish our basket yet, and have the boys woken up?"

"Yes, the basket is all set. We just need to put in the fruits and the pastries that you bought," said Helen.

She handed me a wicker basket. I thanked her and asked again, "Helen, have the boys woken up yet?"

Helen opened her mouth to say something but a voice behind me answered for her. "The boys are right here."

I turned around to see Percy and Grover walking into the kitchen. They were grinning, looking newly refreshed, as if they had their first good night's sleep in a long time. Although, that really did seem to be the case.

Grover said, "Breakfast was fantastic, Helen. The best I've eaten."

Percy scoffed. "Oh yeah. He scarfed all of that down in mere seconds. I was surprised he didn't eat up his plate."

"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Now off you four! Enjoy your lunch," Helen shooed us away.

We laughed as we headed out. Thalia had decided earlier that the perfect place for a picnic was the lawn behind the castle.

"There's a green field of grass by the goose pond," Thalia had said. "It even has a tree to provide us with shade."

So, following Thalia, we walked to the area she had described. I had to give it to my best friend. She really did choose a wonderful spot for a picnic. Percy and I spread the checkered blanket in the shade. Thalia and Grover put out the food once the blanket was set. We all sat down on the picnic blanket, passing around the basket's contents.

"I see you're not angry with me anymore," I told Percy.

Percy grinned, his sandwich still in his mouth. "Ith are thoo mee mad ah choo."

I frowned. "Don't talk with your mouth full."

He swallowed and grinned. "Sorry. I said, it's hard to be mad at you."

"That's so sweet!" exclaimed Thalia and Grover at the same time. I blushed and gave them my best glare, but returned to eating. We enjoyed our lunch while chatting about anything and everything. The four of us managed to eat all the food in the basket, including the fruit and pastries, though Grover did most of the eating.

We ended up sprawled on our backs, staring up at the clouds. Every once in a while, one of us would spot an interesting cloud shape and point it out. It really was peaceful. I finally earned the rest that I needed from all the princess business. I enjoyed the serenity of the afternoon in the company of my friends. That is, until a maid came running towards us.

"Princess!" the maid called. I groaned and slung an arm over my eyes.

I muttered so that only my friends could hear, "What is it now?"

While the maid was catching her breath, we stood up and brushed ourselves off. We all wore the same expression. I assumed that they too were unhappy about the sudden disruption. The maid finally calmed herself down.

"King Hermes has asked that you meet with the seamstress, Princess. You are to be fitted for the ball tonight," said the maid.

A ball? That certainly was a last minute notice. Had I known there was going to be a ball, I would have been more prepared. Frowning, I asked, "What is this ball for?"

"It is to announce your engagement to Prince Luke, Your Highness. Although, almost the entire kingdom knows about the news already," the maid hastily added.

I sighed. "Alright. Would you mind guiding me to the seamstress?"

"Gladly, Princess," the maid said, curtsying. I turned to Thalia and pleaded her with my eyes to come with me. She sighed and nodded. I smiled gratefully at her and turned to the boys.

"I'm sorry we have to leave. Will you two be alright cleaning this up?" I said.

Percy gave a dismissal wave. "It's no problem at all."

Grover grinned. "Now go on, you two. Pretty yourselves up for the ball!"

Thalia and I laughed. We waved them goodbye before following the maid back to the castle. She told me that the seamstress would be waiting for me in my chambers. I merely nodded, following her in silence. Once we were inside, we saw an elderly woman scuttle around the room. She had a tape measure draped around her neck and glasses perched on her nose. There were dresses everywhere, which probably explained her reason for scuttling.

The maid cleared her throat, causing the older woman to look up. "Here is the Princess, Mildrid."

The seamstress cracked a smile. "Ah yes! Hello my dears. It is a pleasure to meet you Princess Annabeth."

I already liked this woman. "The pleasure is all mine."

She laughed. "Well, we should get started. Now, Princess Annabeth and her lady-in-waiting will stay. You will have to leave."

Mildrid pushed the maid out of the room quickly. When she shut the door tightly, she hurried back to us.

"I think we should start," she said.

I tried on every sort of dress. Some had large, puffy skirts, whiles others were cut more closely. Some were long-sleeved, while others had no sleeves at all. The colors varied from red to violet, but none of the dresses suited me.

After trying on what felt like the millionth dress, Thalia abruptly stood up. She exclaimed, "I have an idea!"

In the blink of an eye, she darted to where my bags were, rummaging through it. She pulled out something blue.

I widened my eyes. "Thalia, that isn't what I think it is, is it?" I asked, slowly.

In response, Thalia gave me a mischievous smile and said, "Oh. I think it is."

Before I could jump off the pedestal I was standing on, Thalia dashed to the seamstress. Mildrid studied the dress and muttered to herself. I was glaring at Thalia, but she merely smirked at me and stuck her tongue out in a childish manner.

"Well, this certainly is a bold choice in dress," Mildrid piped up. "Does this belong to you, Princess?"

I blushed and nodded mutely. Surely, she thought I enjoyed wearing clothes like that. Fortunately, she didn't seem fazed by the fact that I would own such a dress. She returned back to studying it.

Mildrid then looked up at me and said, "Judging by your reaction, I'd say you'd like me to fix this dress to make it a little bit more appropriate."

I felt myself brighten up. "Oh, could you, Mildrid? That would be splendid!"

She smiled. "Of course, Princess. I need you to put this dress on so that I know what adjustments to make."

We resumed to working on the pedestal. Mildrid measured everywhere that needed to be measured. She had a small notepad out to write all of her adjustments down. It was all very familiar to me, having had clothes adjusted for me since I was an infant. I was still having a hard time keeping still, though, with Thalia smirking at me and Mildrid occasionally poking me with a needle. I questioned the latter. How much of this dress was left to be pinned?

Right when Mildrid was calculating the adjustments for the neckline, there was a knock at the door.

Thalia ran to it and yelled, "Who is it?"

"Grover and Percy," a muffled voice yelled back. I widened my eyes and shook my head vigorously at Thalia when she gave me a questioning look.

"Do not let them in!" I hissed.

Thalia pouted. "Why not? Don't you want to show off your pretty dress?"

"Well, yes, after Mildrid is done with it, but not now! If they see me in this, it would be humiliating."

"Oh hush," Thalia said, "Since when has Annabeth Chase ever cared about what others think about her? Besides, I'd like to see how Percy would react to seeing you in that dress."

And despite my desperate protests, Thalia opened the door, welcoming the two gentlemen into the room. They strolled in, wearing pleasant grins on their faces. Unfortunately, as soon as their eyes lay on my dress, both their expressions changed to pure shock. Grover recovered quickly, only having a slight blush across his cheeks. Percy, on the other hand, didn't take it so well.

His eyes were practically popping out of their sockets and his jaw was wide open. When he finally composed himself, his face was still a bright red, and his eyes flashed dangerously.

Then he exclaimed, "What in the world are you wearing?"

I opened my mouth to reply, but Thalia beat me to it. "It's a dress, Kelp Head."

Percy glared at Thalia. "I know what it is. I'm asking WHY she's wearing such a dress."

"She is where it because it is fitting for her and I personally think she looks beautiful in it."

"Oh, it's fitting alright. A little too fitting," he turned back to look at me. "Annabeth, do you know what people would think if they saw you wearing that dress? Or how many men would think unchaste thoughts about you?"

Thalia smirked. "Jealous much?"

"I'm her protector. I'm merely doing my job," he huffed, not taking his eyes off mine.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Thalia was just kidding, Percy. Goodness, lighten up a bit, would you? I'm not stupid enough to wear this to the ball. Mildrid here is going to adjust it to make it less revealing."

"Really?"

I nodded my head. He let out a long breath and looked much more relieved.

"If you don't mind my asking," Thalia cut in, "why were you guys here in the first place?"

"We needed a couple suits for tonight," Grover replied. I had forgotten he was still here, witnessing Percy's outburst.

Mildrid perked up at the mention of suits. "Suits, you say?" she said. "Well I've got plenty in here. It will be very easy to find you boys some suits. I just need to finish adjusting the Princess's dress first."

"It is fine, Mildrid. You can get those suits for the boys first. I don't mind," I said. The quicker they leave, the better, I thought.

Mildrid scurried off to the corner of the room, where a rack of clothes stood. She asked Grover and Percy for their sizes, and grabbed the correct sized suits. Then she pushed them out of the room, giving them no time to say goodbye.

She then hurried back to where I was still standing on the pedestal.

Picking up her notepad, she said, "Let me just tell you the adjustments so you can approve of them.

"The neckline will be raised about three inches and I will be expanding the skirt. Other than those adjustments, I will be keeping the original design of the dress. Would all of this be good, Princess?"

"Oh yes, of course. As long as you make the dress appropriate, I am fine with whatever you do to it," I said.

She smiled. "Very well, thank you, Princess."

I laughed. "I'm the one who should be thanking you."

Thalia helped me change out of the dress and into the peasant dress I had been wearing earlier. I felt much more comfortable in that dress. Thalia and I decided to go back to our chambers to wash up and prepare ourselves for the ball.

"I'll be finished with the dress half and hour before the ball," said Mildrid, waving us out.

"Thank you, Mildrid," I called back as Thalia dragged me back to our chambers.

* * *

I felt fully refreshed after bathing in soothing hot water. I had taken my time, which irritated Thalia. One could say it was revenge for what she had done earlier. Once I was done, Thalia made it clear that she would spend a while in the washroom.

"I won't be here when you need help with your hair or make-up," Thalia sing-songed as she walked into the washroom.

I stuck my tongue out at her and sat myself in front of the vanity. I frowned at my reflection. My hair was still wet, falling down in clumps of curls around my water made my hair look more like a dirty blond color, and my face was rather pale in contrast. The only good part of wet hair is that it is better to manipulate. So, I put myself to work on my hair.

I decided to pull it up into a bun and leave a few strands on either side of my face, as to frame it. Once I had done that, I moved on to the various pigments. First, I applied the pink pigment to give myself a slight blush. I then rubbed the pink lip color and lip oil, for the shine, onto my lips. I used my eyelash curler to curl my eyelashes and give it a fuller look. Finally done with the make-up, I examined myself closely. To be honest, I actually thought I looked pretty. The hair and blush accentuated my face, but I felt like something was missing.

Just then, Thalia stepped out of the washroom. She gave me a smirk and said, "Looks like you didn't need my help after all."

I grinned. "Who says a princess can't get herself ready by herself?" Then, I turned back to look in the mirror and frowned. "Although, I can't help but feel like I forgot something."

Thalia rolled her eyes. "That's because you did, Miss Independent Princess. The eyeshadow."

"Right! I forgot about eyeshadow," I said. "I'm not sure what color to use, though. Some of these colors are just too much."

"Why don't you try the blue. You don't have to use a lot," said Thalia.

I followed her advice and found that the blue did make my grey eyes more noticeable. In addition, the blue matched my dress.

"Thank you, Thalia," I said.

"No problem," replied Thalia. She was struggling to pin her hair up and I walked over to help her. Thalia was done with her make-up much faster than I was. It was probably due to the fact that she only applied eyeshadow, black eyeshadow.

Just then, a knock sounded through our chambers. I opened the door to see a maid carrying what seemed to be my dress, wrapped in cloth.

I thanked the maid and took it from her hands. When I walked inside, Thalia was already putting on her dress. It was the one she had bought from the store we visited. The dress was black and it fit her perfectly.

"You look incredible," I told her.

She smiled, "Thanks. Now put on your dress so I can see how you look."

I carefully pulled the dress over my head and saw that it slide down easily. Mildrid had done a find job in fixing it. The neckline was higher than before but not so high that I could choke. The skirt was wider, giving me more space to move my feet. I was in love with the dress.

I wrinkled my nose. "The one thing I hate about these special occasions is the corsets. I can barely breathe with it."

Thalia scoffed. "Tell me about it. Mine is constricting my airways, terribly. Do you think there will be a doctor at the ball?"

I laughed and walked over to the drawer holding my clothes. I pulled out a pair of long white gloves, so long that they reached past my elbows. Since my dress was sleeveless, I would have to wear those gloves. Thalia, I knew, hated wearing gloves, let alone ones that were as long as mine. She wasn't the princess, though, so no one would mind that she wasn't wearing any.

By the time Thalia and I were set for the ball, we had only about ten minutes until the start. Thalia was leaving to go first because I had to wait to be escorted.

After she left, I sat down in front of my vanity until my escort would come. Not long after, I heard a knock on my chambers door. I was surprised at who was standing on the other side.

There stood Percy, looking as charming as ever in his tailored suit. His usual untidy hair was, by some miracle, smoothed down. I smiled at him, but all I received was a wide-eyed stare.

"What?" I snapped.

"Uh gah," was all he replied.

I frowned. "Is there something on my face?"

Percy seemed to shake himself out of his reverie before blushing furiously. He cleared his throat before saying, "You, uh, look really... um, beautiful, Annabeth."

Despite how amusing his expression was, I couldn't help blushing at his compliment. I was glad the pigment blush could cover my actual blush.

"So what are you doing here?" I asked him.

He held out an arm and said, "I'm your escort tonight."

I smiled at his grin, glad he was back to his old goofy self. Looping my arm through his, we proceeded to the ballroom.

* * *

By the time we were standing in front of the wooden doors leading to the ballroom, I was practically hyperventilating.

"You need to calm down, Annabeth," said Percy, calmly.

I glared at him. "You're not the one who is having every set of eyes in the room fixed on them."

Percy shrugged and tried to keep a straight face as he stood tall, facing the wooden doors. Although, one corner of his mouth was twitching.

I heard the herald announce, "Presenting, Princess Annabeth Chase, crowned princess of Minerva, and her escort, Lord Percy Jackson."

I glanced at Percy questioningly and whispered, "Lord?"

"I had the herald tweak his script a bit," Percy smirked. The wooden doors opened and bright light flooded out. I had to squint to keep from going completely blind. After composing myself, I straightened my stance and tried to mask my anxiety with a regal expression.

We descended the stairs to a crowd of smiling ladies, lords, and the rest of the noble part of the kingdom. Percy and I separated as the crowd surrounded me. I shook hands and curtsied with as many people as I could. My cheeks began hurting from smiling so much. As soon as all the lords and ladies were able to introduce themselves to me at least once, they dispersed once more across the ballroom.

The music began and people waltzed on the dance floor. As expected, I was to dance with Luke first. I walked to the center of the dance floor, where, of course, Luke was waiting. A shy smile graced his flawless features, and I couldn't help smiling back. I curtsied while he bowed. I placed my right hand in his left one and my left hand on his shoulder. He tentatively placed a hand on my waist. I was about to take a step forward when I remembered I wasn't dancing with Percy, and everybody's eyes were set on us. In addition, it isn't proper ballroom etiquette to stand so close to your partner.

Taking a step for each beat, Luke and I waltzed. I was starting to get uncomfortable from being so stiff and formal. While we turned to the song, I glanced around the room for Percy, finding him watching us from the food bar. He grinned at me and I gave him a soft smile. I turned back to look at Luke, noticing that he was looking around the room as well. Following his line of sight, I saw him staring at…Thalia?

Just then, the piece ended. Luke and I stepped back, bowing and curtsying at one another. A hand tapped Luke's shoulder.

"Mind if I cut in?" asked Percy. He stepped from behind Luke.

Luke replied, "Of course not. I actually promised someone else a dance." He then turned to me, "You wouldn't mind, would you?"

I laughed. "No. Go ahead."

He shot me a grateful look and hurried away. The next piece began. I curtsied while Percy bowed. We stepped closer, just as Luke and I had. And just as Luke and I had, we waltzed stiffly, much too stiffly for our taste. Although, unlike my dance with Luke, I was actually looking at Percy, at his bright green eyes.

"This isn't as fun as when we dance alone, is it?" Percy whispered.

I smiled. "No kidding."

I was about to open my mouth to say more, but I lost myself in his eyes. It didn't help that he was staring so intently into mine. I wasn't sure how long we were like that. Seconds? Minutes? Hours? It didn't matter because the piece ended, snapping us out of whatever trance we were in.

Percy cleared his throat and asked, "Would you like to go to the food bar for refreshments?"

I was still flushed after whatever that moment was. I managed a measly, "sure," before following him to the food bar. After draining a glass of water in a very unladylike manner, I felt more relieved.

"Annabeth!" Thalia called, running to me. She was grinning and looked like she had danced with her prince charming.

"Guess what?" said Thalia. I raised my eyebrows in response.

She grinned. "I danced with Prince Luke!" Well, what do you know.

"Goodness, really?" I said.

She nodded excitedly. "It was so surreal for me when he came up to ask me to dance. And when we did, I felt…something. I don't know what it is, but it was special."

I knew I should have felt jealous for Thalia feeling this way about Luke. I mean, we _were_ supposed to get married. But I didn't. I was actually very happy for her. She was usually very closed to the world, especially men. Maybe this was her chance to open up a little. This also opened up many possibilities.

"That's wonderful, Thalia." I told her, honestly.

Thalia frowned. "You think so? Are you sure you aren't uncomfortable with this?"

I scoffed. "I barely know the gentleman, Thalia, much less have any chemistry with him. You go and have fun. I can tell he asked you to dance with him again, isn't that right?"

Seeing her blush, I smirked and waved her off. The next piece began. I watched as Thalia curtsied and Luke bowed. They took a step closer to each other and smiled. I carefully watched their expression for even the most minuscule details. Their eyes were twinkling with only what they would call potential love. I felt nothing but happiness for Thalia…Then why did my stomach feel like it had been punched?

I heard Percy whisper something in my ear. I smiled and turned to see him walk out to the balcony. I quickly followed him, making sure I went by unnoticed. Once I stepped out into the crisp night air, I breathed a sigh of relief. The night was beautiful. The sky was clear, stars lighting it up brilliantly. The moon shone on the balcony like a spotlight.

Percy was leaning against the railing. The light breeze was already tousling his hair. I leaned against the railing next to him, staring out across the palace grounds.

"Is there a reason you asked me to come out here?" I murmured, fearing that if I spoke any louder it would disturb the tranquility of the night.

Percy chuckled. "Then I supposed you were enjoying that stuffy ball?"

I let out a breath. "No. It was actually getting boring."

"See? I saved you from dying of boredom in there. You should be thanking me."

I laughed. "Thank you, Percy. You saved me from dying of boredom." I rolled my eyes as he grinned, looking satisfied.

We continued staring at the scenery silently. I wasn't aware of how long we stood there. The ball was still as loud behind us, if not louder. Suddenly, I felt Percy take my hand, focusing my attention on him.

"We never had the chance to dance properly in the ball," he muttered.

"We did dance properly, as proper as it could have ever been," I said.

"But it wasn't how _we_ dance. Why not do it our way since we're dressed so nicely anyway."

I grinned. Percy pulled me to the middle of the balcony and placed both his hands on my hips. I raised an eyebrow. He merely shook his head and placed my hands behind his neck. I clasped my hands behind his neck. We heard the next piece begin.

"This isn't how we danced last time," I said.

"Who said we had to dance exactly like last time? Just trust me," he whispered. That was all I needed to hear. We began swaying and turning slowly to the piece. Some time during the middle of the piece, I rested my head on Percy's shoulder. He pulled me closer, resting his hands on the small of my back. I closed my eyes and sighed. Everything felt relaxing, as if the world had frozen in time.

When the music stopped, I looked up into his eyes. Those beautiful green eyes were staring intently into my own grey ones. I felt myself lean towards him. Before I could even comprehend what had come over my body, our lips met. I felt something. It might have been what Thalia had told me. I wasn't sure, but I had a good feeling about it.

I was finally able regain control and reluctantly pulled away. My eyes were wide. Percy's were as well. I opened my mouth to say something but was interrupted by somebody stepping out onto the balcony.

"Annabeth," Thalia said. "You're needed back in the ballroom. It is time for the final dance for you and Prince Luke."

"I'm coming," I said, though my voice sounded strange. I followed Thalia back in. When I was about to step through the doorway, I risked a glance back. Percy was still standing where he had been, staring at me with wide eyes. I gave him a tentative smile before slipping into the ballroom.

**A/N: Ok. Everybody squeal on three…one…two…oh forget it. But yay! They kissed. :D I told you guys you'd be happy. But now I realize that my writing is very amateurish. Somebody once told me that my flow wasn't very good. I guess that's what happens when I take months to update. Again, though, I am sincerely sorry for neglecting this story for so long and for taking forever to update. I've been so busy. I will now take the time to give you a long overdue list of my excuses/accomplishments.**

**My excuses: school, family, friends, more school, more family, writer's block, and a small amount of laziness (I know, I'm ashamed too).**

**My accomplishments: I helped "convert" one of my best friends into a PJO fan. Do you know what she said when me and my other best friend told her to read PJO? She said, "I opened to the first page and closed it cause it looked boring." I know! Unbelievable! But after much persuasion, she came through and she is now in love with PJO. I feel very accomplished.**

**And guess what? I read the Maximum Ride books! I swear, those books are addicting. I read them all in less than a week. I can't wait for "Angel"! I need to know what happens next because "Fang" left me off with a very depressed mood. Come on guys, how many of you seriously felt incredibly sad when you finished "Fang"? That's what I thought. I still have to wait 3 weeks for "Angel"! Oh well. (P.S. Percy Jackson is still at the top of my list.)**

**Anywho, I hope you guys will forgive me enough to review. In fact, I will respond to each and every one of your reviews (if you're not anonymous) with as much thought and sincerity as possible. I promise. Again, so incredibly sorry for this ridiculous wait. I will try my best to update sooner, but the chapters will be shorter, I warn you. Good luck on your lives! Mine is pretty hectic. Please review and gimme your thoughts.**

**Thanks so much!**


	8. Why Is My Life Such a Burden?

**A/N: Hey everybody! I am back! I also feel very proud because this update totally beats the three months I took for my last one. So be happy all of you. Anyway, I'd first like to thank all of my readers and reviewers, especially my reviewers. I received the most reviews I've ever gotten. I also reached the 200th mark! I feel so happy! Special thanks to luckyforever777 for being my 200th reviewer. :)**

**Also, this chapter is dedicated to Mortal Bozo: I'm sorry I didn't stick to my promise. Yesterday was just so crazy that I had NO TIME AT ALL to update. I hope this dedication will make up a little for it. Forgive me!**

**Anyway, enjoy.**

**DISCLAIMER: I hate how I have to go through this all the time. How about I keep it simple? Me no owny Rick Riordan's characters and stuff.**

After the ball ended, Thalia and I hurried back to our chambers. People were trying to have last-minute conversations with me, but I was already too exhausted to be conversing. So, Thalia managed to sneak us past the crowd.

Once we reached the chambers, it took any energy I had left not to collapse on my bed. I was able to briefly wash up before I went to bed. As I let myself drift into my dreams, I only saw a startling pair of sea-green eyes staring at me with such intensity that I shivered. That was exactly how the eyes' owner was looking at me as I had my final dance with Luke.

* * *

"Do you think she's dead?" a hushed voice asked.

Another voice answered it, "No. She's still breathing. But it is starting to frighten me. She hasn't slept this long in a while."

Yet another voice said, "I am pretty sure a person shouldn't be sleeping for this long."

The voices were still very hazy, and I had not opened my eyes yet. They continued whispering to each other. My eyes fluttered open not a moment later.

At first, there was nothing but bright light, causing me to squint. As my eyesight refocused, I could make out three figures surrounding my bed. Thalia was sitting on the edge of it to my right, Grover was standing at the foot of the bed, and Percy was standing to my left.

I gasped and pulled the comforter over me. "Thalia! Why did you let them into our chambers? I am not fully dressed!"

Thalia smirked. "Well, hello to you too, Sleeping Beauty. I let them in because it is two o'clock in the afternoon. You have been sleeping for quite a long time."

"Two o'clock in the afternoon?" I asked, startled.

Percy nodded. "Grover thought you were dead. You haven't slept for that long in a long time."

I let out a breath. That ball had taken so much of my energy that I'd overslept. I turned to Thalia and glared at her.

"Thalia, would you please lead these gentlemen out so that I may get dressed?" I asked through clenched teeth.

Thalia grinned at me and replied, "Certainly, Princess."

She pushed Grover and Percy to the door. They walked towards it without any protests. It wasn't until they had opened the door that Percy looked back at me and grinned.

"We don't actually mind being in here while you dress, if you are concerned of our well-being," he said, seemingly trying to suppress a laugh.

Luckily for him, he managed to slip out before my pillow hit his face. It hit the door with a thud, narrowly missing Thalia as well.

"Jerk!" I yelled. I heard him chuckling as he and Grover walked away. I threw my comforter off with a huff and walked to my wardrobe. As I changed behind the screen, Thalia told me to eat my late lunch quickly.

"One of the maids who came by said that you have a meeting with the wedding planner in twenty minutes," she said.

"Just me? Isn't Luke supposed to be there?" I asked.

Thalia said, "No. He has something to attend to. The meeting is preparations for you. Your dress, the bridesmaids, that sort."

I stepped from behind the screen, wearing what was considered casual for a princess. The dress didn't have as many petticoats or dress layers as our formal wear. However, it wasn't a peasant dress either. The sleeves were long and the dress was tightly fitted. It was a deep forest green color, and gold lining ran along the neckline of the dress.

After Thalia helped brush my hair, which had become quite a mess during my sleep, we hurried to the dining hall. I was able to finish my late lunch faster than I ever had, due to Thalia's constant reminders of my hectic schedule. She practically dragged me to the office where we were to meet the planner.

We arrived just as the clock struck the half hour, exactly when we were scheduled to meet. The doors swung open, revealing a young maiden with fiery red hair. She smiled at us and curtsied.

"Good afternoon, Princess. It is an honor to be in your presence," said the girl. I examined her a bit more. Her eyes were a bright emerald green, almost as piercing as Percy's. Freckles sprinkled across her nose. Of course, her most notable feature was her red hair. Despite her seemingly wild appearance, the girl glowed with an aura of grace.

I smiled. "Please, no need to be so formal. I presume that you are the wedding planner."

The girl nodded. "Yes, Princess. I am Lady Rachel Elizabeth Dare, royal wedding planner, artist, and oracle. But, please, I would rather go by just Rachel."

"Oracle?" Thalia questioned.

Rachel laughed. "It's a bit strange, yes. The king actually keeps it a secret from the kingdom, but the gift is there. I have very clear Sight."

"Oracle or not, I like you, Rachel," I proclaimed, grinning at her. "You're very much different from other maidens I've run into. I believe we will become great friends."

"That would be an honor, Princess," said Rachel. "Now, shall we start?"

The next hour or so was spent discussing dresses, bridesmaids, the bridesmaids' dresses, and much more. We were able to find the perfect dress for me and the dresses for the bridesmaids. Thalia and I also figured out who the bridesmaids would be.

"I'm assuming you are going with the traditional wedding, including being wed in a church, and black and white wedding colors," Rachel had said. I agreed with her, knowing it would be the right choice for the wedding. After concluding our meeting, Rachel asked us if we would like to see the church.

"I already have a church in mind for the ceremony. It is a beautiful building," she informed us.

We walked across the lawn of the castle towards the church. Along the way, we passed by the fencing area. Percy and Grover were sparring, dressed in armor.

Rachel stopped for a moment, staring at the two gentlemen.

"Hmm, and who are they?" she said.

"Percy Jackson and Grover Underwood. They escorted us here," said Thalia.

I stepped closer to Rachel and said quietly, "But stay away from the green-eyed one. He's mine."

Rachel laughed. "Don't worry, Princess. I _am _the virgin oracle. Although, shouldn't Prince Luke be known as 'yours'?"

"It's an arranged marriage," I said, rolling my eyes. "Besides, I think you should be asking Thalia that question."

With that, I proceeded to the church, walking past an astonished Rachel and a blushing Thalia.

* * *

As Rachel had informed us, the church was simply breathtaking. It was a tall white building, adorned with large stained glass windows. Inside, it was not any less marveling, if not even more. Light shone through the windows, illuminating all of the church. To say the least, Thalia and I were rendered speechless.

"That was my reaction when I first saw the church," said Rachel, laughing. She showed us where the bride and groom's sides of the family would be, the exact location of where we would be wed, and where I would stand before walking down the aisle.

"I believe that is all I have for this meeting. We will have much more to discuss later. Now, I must be going now. Dinner will be ready soon," said Rachel.

I said, "Why don't you join us for dinner? I'm sure the others won't mind. We won't even be dining with the royal family."

Rachel smiled. "It would be my pleasure. Thank you, Princess."

We walked back to the castle just as the sun set. Dinner was to be served on the patio just outside the dining hall. Percy and Grover were already seated at the table, looking refreshed after their sparring match.

"Good evening, ladies," said Grover.

Thalia, Rachel, and I sat across from the boys. I took the seat in front of Percy, with Thalia and Rachel on either side.

"I see you've made a new friend," said Percy, helping himself to the contents already set out on the table. "Care to introduce us?"

Thalia replied, "Rachel, meet the boys. Boys, meet Lady Rachel Elizabeth Dare. "

Rachel added, "But you can call me Rachel."

They exchanged their hellos before eating. Dinner went by without so much as the sounds of our chewing. We didn't begin talking until all of us had finished.

"So Rachel," said Grover, "you're the royal wedding planner?"

She nodded. "I'm also the royal artist and oracle."

"Interesting," said Percy. "I've never met an oracle before."

"That is because there should only be one," I said, resisting the urge to roll my eyes.

However, Percy was the one to do so. "You don't always have to be such a Wise Girl."

"Here we go with the nicknames," I heard Thalia murmur.

Apparently, I was not the only one who heard. Rachel spoke up, "Is there something going on between you two, Princess?"

I felt my face heat up as everybody but Percy chuckled. It really wasn't that funny. If Rachel could see something happening between us, anybody could. Everything would get much more complicated. People would question my marriage with Luke, and I would be known as the princess in a scandalous affair.

I excused myself before rushing to my chambers. Rachel's words had suddenly caused reality to crash onto me. I was still going to marry Luke, and my relationship with Percy would never be able to veer further than being friends.

Burying my face in my pillow, I let out a frustrated scream. Why did my life have to be such a burden?

A knock sounded from the door. Before I could protest, it opened and somebody walked in.

"Annabeth?" I heard Percy's voice.

I turned and sat up, hugging the pillow to my chest. "What are you doing here, Percy?"

He shrugged. "I wanted to check up on you. Thalia was going to do it, but I decided to instead."

I laughed without any humor. "I'm fine. I may be the princess, but I'm no damsel in distress."

Percy grinned. "I know that, but I'm still your protector. It is my job to make sure you are fine. So, what happened back just a few moments ago?"

I hugged the pillow closer, muttering, "I don't want to talk about it."

He sighed. "Whenever you do, I will always be available. We have some other matters to talk about as well."

The look he gave me made me blush furiously. I buried my face in the pillow until I felt my face lose its red color.

"Well, I feel exhausted," I said, laying back down on the bed. I threw the covers over myself.

"Good night," I mumbled, closing my eyes.

I heard Percy chuckle. He kissed my forehead and whispered, "Good night." It was the last thing I heard before I drifted to sleep.

**A/N: Yeah, disappointing. This chapter was fairly short because of the amount of time I spent on it. Sorry, people. However, I still hope all of you enjoyed it. I liked this chapter, actually, because I got to introduce Rachel. Everybody say yay! Anywho, like I said, I hoped you guys enjoyed that. Also, to those of you who have accounts, I hope you've all received my review replies. I think I've managed to reply to every one of them.**

**And lastly, a special shout-out to Emily, one of my best buddies. Thanks for reading my stories, Em. Glad you like them! ;D Oh and yeah, your name is now out on the Internet. But that's okay, there are plenty of Emily's in this world. Haha.**

**Well, hope you guys will review. Give me your thoughts! I'll try to squeeze in another update soon, but I can't guarantee. Thank you all of you, just for reading my story. It gives me faith in the fact that this isn't a lost cause. Please review! Thank you!**


	9. Why Not?

**A/N: Wow. Two months. I can't believe it's been two months. I am so incredibly sorry. I just had so much going on in life: school, family, friends. I was meaning to update last week when I had spring break but even my vacation time was packed. : / So again, I apologize. I hope you guys aren't mad at me. I know I'm being a lousy author. I have more to say at the bottom. I won't keep you waiting anymore. Enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER: All rights go to Rick Riordan. I am not him, for what would Rick Riordan be doing on FanFiction when he needs to finish his actual books? Exactly.**

I gave a loud yawn and looked at Rachel. "Rachel, when will Prince Luke arrive? I'm getting a bit impatient."

"Sorry, Princess. It appears I had forgotten that the royal family is not known for their early awakenings. I believe the Prince should be finished with his breakfast around this time," said Rachel, flashing a sheepish smile.

However, as if on queue, Luke stepped through the doorway of Rachel's office, offering us an apologetic look.

"I apologize for my tardiness. I had forgotten how early this meeting would be," he said, taking a seat beside me.

Rachel said, "Well, no matter. Let us begin our meeting so that we may finish it before lunchtime."

She began speaking to us about our bridesmaids and groomsmen. I immediately chose Thalia as my maid of honor. Luke decided to choose Ethan, a close friend of his.

"And the rest?" Rachel inquired. "Both of you still need at least two more bridesmaids and groomsmen."

I smiled. "I was thinking of asking you to be one, Rachel."

"Oh, Princess! That would be an honor!" she gushed.

Luke laughed and said, "Since I haven't that many friends, I was thinking of asking Percy and Grover."

"I am sure they would accept," I grinned.

Rachel pointed out, "You still need one more, Princess."

I sighed. "I will think of someone."

"Very well. Now, we need to discuss family arrangements," said Rachel.

The meeting carried on with various topics to decide upon. Such topics, like where each of our families would be seated or our justice of the peace, seemed minor, yet Rachel was intent on those decisions. Finally, after countless hours of arguing, on Rachel's part, and talking, we were able to accomplish all that needed to be discussed, according to Rachel.

"Thank you for attending, Your Majesties," said Rachel. "I believe we've finished in time for lunch."

I nodded. "The others will be waiting for us on the patio." Then I turned to Luke. "Would you care to join us today?"

Luke shook his head. "Oh no, I don't mean to intrude. Besides, I am meeting someone for lunch."

"Well, you are welcome to join us anytime in the future."

"Thank you," he said, bowing. Then, he slipped through the doors before Rachel and I could say anything else.

I turned back to Rachel. "Our lunch awaits."

Rachel laughed and linked arms with me. We proceeded to walk leisurely to the patio. When we walked past the fencing area, Percy and Grover were sword-fighting yet again. I yelled their names, momentarily pausing their sparring.

"It is time for lunch, you two," I shouted. "Get yourselves cleaned up."

"Yes, mother!" they shouted back, and turned to put their weapons away.

I rolled my eyes, but continued my walk to the patio, pulling Rachel along. As we arrived, we found a table already set with utensils and steaming food. I looked around, noticing that Thalia was not there. _How peculiar._

Just then, Percy and Grover arrived, evidently cleaner. They took a seat and began piling food onto their plates, not even bothering to wait for us.

Rachel scoffed, "Boys."

We took a seat across from them and began serving ourselves as well. After we'd all begun eating, I decided to speak up.

"Have you two seen Thalia?" I asked.

Percy nodded. "She told me she was having an important lunch meeting with someone and apologized in advance for not being able to attend lunch with us."

I frowned. "But she barely knows anyone here, let alone have an important meeting with them."

Percy shrugged. "Who knows. This is Thalia we are talking about. She is very unpredictable."

"Wait, I just thought of something," I said, pursing my lips. "Luke told Rachel and I that he was meeting someone for lunch as well." _Could it be…No. Highly unlikely._

"Like I said, it is Thalia. We never know for sure."

I, however, continued to ponder this coincidence. Was it even a coincidence? Was it possible that they were having lunch together? Thalia would have told me. I was sure of that. Then again, I wasn't sure of anything these days.

* * *

At dinnertime, everybody was to dine in the great dining hall, including Rachel. It seemed that King Hermes had wanted to look over the wedding plans with Rachel over dinner, to make sure everything was being handled. As they spoke quietly over her notes, the rest of us ate quietly.

I was observing Thalia and Luke, hoping they weren't noticing. Every so often, Thalia would glance at Luke or he would glance at her. I narrowed my eyes as I stared at Thalia. However, she locked eyes with me and I turned my attention back to my food. I felt another pair of eyes on me. This one felt much more intense. As I looked up, I noticed that Percy was looking at me. He saw that I had noticed and blushed a little before flashing a small smile.

After that queer moment, dinner seemed to pass by quickly. King Hermes excused himself first due to a meeting with his council. We all exited the hall immediately after he left.

"I would love to stay with all of you, but my father has insisted that I meet with him," said Rachel.

Grover nodded. "I am going back to my chambers. Dinner has made me incredibly tired."

I laughed. "Alright, you two. Have a good night."

They bowed and curtsied before retreating to their desired destinations.

"Well, I suppose–" I began, turning around, only to find that Percy and I were the only people left.

"Where did Thalia and Prince Luke go?" I asked.

Percy shrugged. "They disappeared after dinner."

I frowned. "That's strange."

"Why don't we just take a walk through the gardens?"

I grinned. "Sure."

* * *

The gardens were a wonder to behold. Though the pathways were simply made of paved stones, the flowers and hedges surrounding them were stunning. Flowers of every hue were placed in elaborate patterns to accentuate each color. The hedges were intricately cut to perfection, some even taking up the forms of animals. Lanterns throughout the gardens helped to make them more lively in the dark.

Percy and I walked in a comfortable silence. I had wanted to absorb the beauty of the gardens, and Percy seemed to respect that. However, I decided to speak up after we had walked quite a distance.

"I think there is something peculiar happening between Thalia and Luke," I said.

Percy replied, "I was thinking that as well."

I nodded. "They've been disappearing around the same time, and they never tell us where exactly they're going."

"One can only assume."

I sighed. "Well, maybe our suspicions will be confirmed soon enough."

"Until then, we have other matters to talk about," said Percy, giving me a pointed look.

"There is nothing to talk about," I said, refusing to make eye contact with him.

Percy gave a frustrated sigh. "Annabeth, please. I want to know what is happening between _us_. We can't leave the subject alone forever."

"I suppose you are right. Let's...sit down and speak of everything on our minds."

I grabbed his hand and pulled him to a moonlit bench by the rosebushes.

"What exactly do you wish to speak about?" I asked.

Percy replied. "You know exactly what I wish to speak about."

"Enlighten me."

"The _kiss_," he replied, his voice dropping to a whisper.

I shrugged indifferently, though I was far from it. "So?"

"So?" Percy said, bewildered. "Annabeth, I like you. I like you a lot. Now I want to know if you return my feelings because that kiss meant something. You kissed me back, and yet you push me away and brush this off as nothing. You're sending mixed signals. I need to know the truth."

"Look, Percy. The truth is," I said, taking a deep breath, "I like you too. And the reason I've been pushing you away and trying to avoid all of this is very much complicated."

Percy took my hand and said, "You can tell me."

I looked directly into those beautiful green eyes, feeling myself open up to reveal my masked vulnerability. "I don't want to be known as the princess who has an affair with another man because her marriage with the prince is arranged. Both kingdoms will despise me. What if I am to be exiled once everybody knows?"

Percy cupped my cheek with his other hand, gently stroking my cheek with his thumb. I leaned into it, sighing. As he fixated his gaze on me, I saw only truth behind his eyes when he spoke.

"I can't promise you that the future will be easy for us. I can't guarantee you that we won't be facing obstacles along the way, because we will. I mean, you're getting married. Though whether you are exiled or not, I will always be by your side. That, I can promise. That, I can guarantee."

He then pulled my face closer to his and gave me a chaste kiss on the lips. When we parted, I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face.

"Thank you," I whispered.

Percy shrugged. "I was merely speaking the truth. Besides, I am sure we can pull through this. It's going to be fine, Wise Girl. We'll figure it out."

I was about to say something else when I heard a quiet giggle. I quickly looked around to find nothing out of the ordinary.

"Did you hear that?" I asked Percy.

He replied, "The giggle? Yes. I thought it was only me."

"I believe it came from there," I said, pointing to a few large bushes to our left.

I walked towards that direction, motioning for Percy to follow me. There was a small space between two of the bushes, just large enough for a single person to fit through. Percy and I slipped past them, where we saw a small lake. Forest surrounded it and the moon was reflected off its surface. However, I was not paying attention to either of those details. There was something much more shocking at the center of the lake.

Right in the middle of it sat a single canoe carrying two passengers. Percy and I froze, our eyes practically falling out of their sockets, as our minds finally registered who these passengers were. _Thalia and Luke._

It was quite a sight to see. They were sitting across from each other with a lantern in between them. Luke was telling Thalia something quietly when both erupted in quieted laughter.

"I knew it!" I whispered, recovering from my initial shock. "There really was something happening between those two."

"They look really happy," Percy noted, and I had to agree. Thalia was practically beaming as she spoke quietly with Luke.

"Maybe we should allow them some privacy," said Percy.

I sighed. "I suppose."

Percy laced his fingers through mine and tugged my arm.

"Come on, I want to show you something," he said, giving me a soft smile that I couldn't refuse to.

He pulled me through the gardens until we reached a central courtyard. My breath caught as I approached it. There was a fountain in the center, surrounded by lush flower beds. The pathway circled around the fountain several times. Lining the pathway were tall unlit lanterns.

Percy reached into one of his pockets and retrieved a small packet. He opened it and pulled something out. Then, striking the object against the packet, it lit up. I realized then that they were matches. He walked to the nearest lantern and lit it up. Almost instantly, the circle of lanterns began to light up in order from the lantern Percy had lit. Once the entire circle had been lit, the courtyard was instantly illuminated. It was still disbelieving for me as I continued to gape at the sight before me.

"Wow," I breathed. "This is beautiful."

Percy smirked. "I knew you would love it."

"I do," I said, still transfixed on the incredible scenery. "Thank you for showing me this."

Percy touched my elbow so that I turned my attention toward him.

"You are very welcome," he whispered, pressing his lips to mine.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. I tried to tell him how much he meant to me through the kiss, and I felt him do the same as he held me close. No regrets, no doubts, no thoughts came to my mind as we stood there in our own little world. Nothing could have ruined such a perfect night.

**A/N: Ahahaha, that was such a cheesy ending. Oh well, I like cheese. And I really did like how this chapter turned out. I was rereading my story and thought it didn't have enough Percabeth. By the way, I must admit that I thought my story was so bad. Seriously. I can't believe I actually wrote that. And yet I have all of you lovely readers and reviewers still sticking to it. Thank you, though, for doing that. I really appreciate it.**

**Ok, so what was I saying? Right, Percabeth. Yeah, as I was rereading my story I was like, "Dang, I've kept my readers so Percabeth-deprived." So I decided to add as much Percabeth as I could to this chapter without messing it up too much. Oh, and I added some Thuke too. I apologize to all Thalico fans. I'm more of a Thuke and Rico shipper. Nevertheless, hope you all enjoyed it. This story will be wrapping up in a few chapters. So be aware. I know, I am very sad too. Until then, we'll see how it goes. ;) (Whoa, deja vu moment.)**

**Thank you so much to all of these reviews, favorites, and alerts. I love all of you so much for doing that. I mean, I have over 270 reviews! That's amazing! Thank you! Anyway, I hope the chapter made up a little for my absence. Please review and give me your thoughts!**


	10. Why Should I Stress About It?

**A/N: Hey guys… Yeah, you all want to kill me now. I know. Too bad you can't get me! :P Sorry, moving on.**

**I am immensely sorry for not updating in forever. The end of school has just been so hectic, what with tons and tons of tests going on. Plus, our teachers had the same stupid idea to suddenly bombard us with multiple projects right after testing was finished. Ugh. But school is no longer a bother because it's just ended (I'm actually sad about it, though.). However, I now have to deal with relatives who are coming from practically every corner of the world to our lovely California. But enough of my excuses. I need to quickly acknowledge some people so you guys can get to the reading.**

**Firstly, I would like to congratulate Cassie's Neighbor for being my 300th reviewer! Yay! Thanks, Cass. Oh yeah, and she's an AMAZING writer. So go check out her stories sometime because they are really good. You won't regret it.**

**Also, I'd like to make a shout-out to buzzlessbee. She's my bestest buddy in the whole universe of our planet. Please take the time to see her story as well. It's her first one so go easy on her! But I think you'll enjoy it. It's really very cute. :D**

**And lastly, a shout-out to all of the people who PM'd me to update this story. I really appreciate the messages, you guys. It shows that you are dedicated to the story and you like it enough to personally ask the author to update. Plus, they encourage me to update.**

**So I've kept you all waiting for too long (2 months, too long). On with the story!**

**DISCLAIMER: Dang it. I can't find anything witty/humorous to put here. Well, you know what goes here.**

Days passed since that eventful night. However, those days, in contrast, were very much dull when it came to spending time as an entire group. We spent them lounging on the lawn, staring aimlessly at the sky. The surprising thing was that Prince Luke had decided to join us. I had an idea as to why, but I decided to keep it to myself.

The wedding plans were going smoothly as well. Rachel, Thalia, and I had finally decided upon the dress that I was to wear on the day of the wedding. I also found my final bridesmaid. Her name was Juniper and we had become acquainted because of Grover. Apparently, he had met her at the market one day and when he came back, claimed he had fallen in love.

And finally, the time spent with Percy could be described by only one word. Bliss. When we found time for ourselves, we would travel back to the courtyard in the gardens and just talk. I found myself trusting him completely when it came to my insecurities.

"Are you nervous about tomorrow?" he asked, swinging our intertwined hands between us.

I smirked. "Well, it's only the day of my wedding."

"You're just mocking me now," he pretended to pout, but then continued in a serious tone. "What are we going to do?"

I took a deep breath. I knew exactly what he meant. We hadn't necessarily said we'd loved each other yet, but I knew that if I were to marry, I would only marry Percy.

I smiled. "Actually, I have a solution that just might work."

And I explained to him what it was.

* * *

"Good morning, Princess, are you ready for your wedding rehearsal?" asked Rachel.

I chuckled nervously. "To be honest, I feel nervous."

She smiled. "Don't worry. That's the point, for you to get used to the feeling of the actual day."

"Well it isn't pleasant at all," I remarked, pursing my lips.

"Come now, you need to take your place," she said, ignoring my discomfort.

Rachel led me to a few feet behind the double doors that separated the lobby from the main altar. I saw Grover walk to the doors and open them wide so that we could see the altar from here. He then stepped back and linked arms with Juniper. Music sounded throughout the church and they slowly walked down the aisle. Next, Percy appeared, winking at me, and Rachel linked arms with him. As they proceeded down the aisle, Thalia and Luke's best man, Ethan, took their place and linked arms. Thalia flashed me a smile before walking as well.

Finally, it was my turn. My father appeared by my side and I gave him a grateful smile. He and my mother had arrived just yesterday, in time for the rehearsal. As I looped my arm through his, I exhaled loudly.

My father chuckled. "It's only a rehearsal, honey."

"I know, but it is still scary."

The music changed abruptly, and that was our cue to begin walking. My father and I slowly progressed down the aisle, and I thought of how we'd be doing exactly this tomorrow, except with people filling the pews. Plus, the actual wedding ceremony was tomorrow. It was immensely serious, and that just added to the pressure on me. And my plan.

We arrived at the main alter, where the priest and the bride and groom's parties were standing. My father and I separated; he sat beside my mother while I stood next to Luke. As the priest began, I felt myself drown his voice out, and my eyes drifted over to Percy. He grinned at me when he caught me staring.

My attention was then turned to the priest as he said, "Wilt thee have this man to be thy wedded husband, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of Matrimony? Wilt thee obey him, and serve him, love, honour, and keep him in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all other, keep thee only unto him, so long as ye both shall live?"

I took a deep breath, keeping in mind that this was only a rehearsal. "I will."

The ceremony continued and I, yet again, seemed to lose any focus of it until:

It was time for our vows. Luke said his first, without a single mistake: no stutter, no hesitation. However, I knew that I would most likely end up stumbling on my own words.

"I, Annabeth Minerva Chase, take thee, Luke Hermes Castellan, to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us depart, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereunto I plight thee my troth."

Surprisingly, the only flaw I could find in that was that I spoke a bit too fast. The priest seemed to not mind and he continued the rehearsal. The remainder of it seemed all a blur to me. I could care less of the ceremony, considering what I had in store for tomorrow.

Finally, it was time for the two parties to march out of the church, where, tomorrow, our guests would be showering us in rice and a carriage would be awaiting Luke and I. However, since there was no rice-throwing nor a carriage, King Hermes declared it time for lunch. Luke requested to his father that the youth, meaning our friends and us, picnicked on the lawn while the elders dined inside. King Hermes merely laughed, joking about how "us kids" never seemed to appreciate our parents.

And that was how we ended up using two picnic blankets to fit the eight of us, sharing a grand total of four enormous picnic baskets for lunch. Of course, Grover consumed almost an entire basket to himself, until he realized that Juniper was seated right next to him. Everyone, except Juniper, laughed when his face turned red and he put down his third sandwich.

More laughter was exchanged as jokes were told. As Luke finished his joke, Thalia laughed the loudest of us all. Whether it was intended or she'd actually found the joke that funny, I would never know. Percy and I shared a look, and I knew it was time to explain to everyone what I had in mind for tomorrow.

"Prince Luke?"

He looked at me with raised eyebrows.

"I was meaning to ask you," I began, "if you loved Thalia."

Luke seemed to choke on air as he managed to say, "Excuse me?"

"Do you love Thalia?" I repeated calmly.

He seem flustered for a moment, glancing at each of our faces, lingering a bit longer on Thalia's. She gave him an encouraging smile.

"Yes," he sighed. "I do very much."

Thalia rested her head on his shoulder, smiling contently. Rachel and Juniper commented on how sweet it was of him to say that.

"There. Now was that so hard?" remarked Percy.

Thalia rolled her eyes at him, then asked, "Why exactly did you ask Luke to profess his love?"

I grinned. "Well, I have concocted a plan that just might make us all very happy."

"How so?" she said, narrowing her eyes.

I took a deep breath. "You see…"

* * *

When I finished, I exhaled loudly. They seemed lost in their thoughts until Thalia cracked a smile. "I believe that just might work."

Luke nodded. "I agree."

"Are all of you agreeing to be a part of this?" I asked, looking at each of them. They nodded in approval.

"Then it's settled," said Percy. "We must be ready for this tomorrow."

I stood. "Rachel, Juniper, and Thalia, I need your help for Thalia's part of the plan."

Rachel said, "I'll have everything ready after dinner."

"Excellent." I grinned and turned back to the others. "Nobody should know of this plan. You mustn't speak a word of it."

Grover saluted. "Yes, ma'am."

I laughed. "Well, I believe lunchtime is over. What say we all head to the fencing area. I heard my father was taking on any challengers, believe it or not. That will be very interesting."

So, we cleaned up the picnic blankets and baskets, carrying them back to the castle. Percy stopped me along the way and looked to the others. "We'll catch up with you."

I raised an eyebrow. "What is it, Percy?"

He casted his eyes to the ground and I saw his face heat up. However, when he looked up again, he was grinning. "Have I told you how much I love you?"

I felt my breathing falter for a second. It was the first time he'd told me those three words, and I was a nervous-wreck. But I gathered up my courage and tried not to stutter as I whispered, "I love you, too."

The moment those words left my mouth, I felt lighter, as if the weight of the sky had been lifted from my shoulders. And I knew I'd done the right thing, for Percy's beautiful green eyes lit up. He pulled me towards him and gave me a passionate kiss. I would have stayed like that for eternity if I could, but the desire for air overruled me and I pulled away. Though only to rest my forehead against his.

"Your plan is brilliant. It is going to solve many of our problems," Percy whispered.

"I know," I replied, before running towards the fencing area, laughing at his confused expression.

Percy immediately caught up with me, and we met the others, just in time to watch an amusing sword-fight between my father and Grover.

_Yes, _I thought, _tomorrow will be a very interesting day._

**A/N: And that's the end for this chapter. I know, it's short, and I personally did not like this chapter. **

**I've just got major writer's block: it's, like, the worst case EVER. However, I do have the next chapter planned out, and I've even typed some of it already. Trust me, the next one will be a very long chapter, I promise. I mean, it's the wedding day! It **_**has**_** to be long. Plus, you all get to find out what Annabeth's plan is. Yay! :D (You can just pretend to be excited if you want.)**

**On the other hand, the next chapter will most likely be the final chapter of this story. :'( I am very sad about that. But I'll save the tears for when I do say "The End." *holds back hysterical sobs***

**Anywhoos, again I am so incredibly sorry for the long wait. I think part of it was because I was recently obsessed with anime such as Death Note (Go L!) and Ouran High. Not a legitimate excuse for not updating, but I just needed to let you guys know. ;) But kudos to all of you for putting up with my much much delayed updating. I love you guys! Thank you for your reviews and adding my story and me to your alerts/favorites. Your support is much appreciated. Thank you!**


	11. Why Is It All Ending?

**A/N: *sobs hysterically* Hey guys, welcome to the final chapter of this story. :( I am very sad that this is ending. Hopefully, this chapter will leave you feeling dreamlike and whatnot by the end, because that's how I felt when I finished writing it. This chapter isn't as long as I thought it would be, but it's still longer than the last one. So, I guess that counts for something, right? Also, I wanted to post this chapter specifically today because today is the first birthday of **_**Why Me? **_**(In California time anyway.)**** Yay! I can't believe it's been a year since I began writing this story. It feels like just yesterday that I was hoping to get even one good review for this story, and look at it now! Over three hundred and fifty freakin' reviews! That's amazing.**

**By the way, I WILL NOT be making an epilogue for this story. The 'six months later' thing is technically the (very short) epilogue to the story. Sorry to disappoint but I really couldn't think of anything that would be a good epilogue. :}**

**Oh, one more thing: When I'm describing Annabeth's dress, I totally had Kate Middleton's wedding dress in mind. So just think of that dress and you'll get the idea. :D**

**Without further ado, the final chapter of **_**Why Me?**_

**DISCLAIMER: If I owned PJO, it would be a disaster.**

The start of my wedding day could not have been more peaceful.

"You must add the Delphinium flowers into her bouquet!" shouted Thalia.

And when I say peaceful, I mean chaotic.

"The Gladiolus flowers are better suited for the bouquet!" Rachel shouted back.

The two were arguing over which type of flowers described my personality the best. Apparently, Delphiniums represented wisdom and Gladioluses represented strength of character. I had requested to put neither but, of course, Thalia and Rachel chose to ignore me.

Thalia continued to argue, "They may be better for the bouquet, but the Delphiniums match Annabeth's personality better."

"I have had much more experience with arranging wedding bouquets. I believe I should be capable to know which type of flower is better," stated Rachel. Though she had lowered her voice, she was still glaring fiercely at Thalia.

Juniper, who had quietly sat in the chair next to mine during the shouting match, cleared her throat. "If I may have a say, I suggest you just put both flowers in the bouquet."

The two girls exchanged exasperated looks, as if to say, "Why did we not think of that?"

"Well," I spoke up, "it seems that the matter has been resolved. Now, let us get the styling over with." I sighed as I said that last part.

However, Thalia and Rachel immediately brightened up, both wearing similar devilish grins on their face. They seized my chair and swiftly turned it around so that I faced the opposite direction of the vanity.

I frowned. "How come I am facing away from the mirror?"

"Because," said Thalia, "you cannot see how you look until we are finished."

I groaned as they went to work on my hair and make-up.

Thalia set to style my hair while Juniper and Rachel mixed the pigments for the make-up. I felt a brush pulling through my curls, wincing as it untangled the snarls in my hair.

"Should it be a full or just half up-do?" Thalia mumbled to Rachel.

Rachel replied, "Half would look better for the veil, would it not?"

"Yes, I believe it would."

This time, Thalia only brushed part of my hair, the top part. She used the brush to pull back my hair, tying that part with a hairband.

"Juniper, would you mind handing me that hair clip?" asked Thalia.

Then: "Thank you." As I presumed that Thalia had been handed the clip.

I felt her pull the hairband out, only for it to be replaced by the hair clip. She brushed through my hair once more before walking around to face me.

"Your hair is finished, so do not, under any circumstances, tamper with it," she told me warningly.

I nodded once.

Thalia smiled. "Good. Now, it is time for us to apply make-up."

Before I could even let out a groan, Rachel had already begun curling my eyelashes. She had one in each hand, using them to clamp down on my eyelashes, and held them there for a few seconds. It would have been rather comical if I was actually enjoying this. Rachel then walked back to the vanity. Juniper took Rachel's place and applied eyeshadow with a small brush. Once she was finished, Thalia used a larger brush to add blush to my cheeks. She stepped away for a moment and returned to apply pigment on my lips, as well as lip oil for the shine.

The three stepped back and admired their work. They were grinning victoriously, and for a moment, I was afraid that they had overdone it. Finally, they turned my chair around for me to examine my reflection.

What I saw was a beautiful young woman staring back at me. Part of my hair was tied up, and the curls that weren't framed my face. I was wearing a bit of silver eyeshadow, light blush, and my lips were a shiny light pink color. Elated, I noted that Thalia, Rachel, and Juniper did not apply too much make-up.

I smiled and stood up to give them a hug. "Thank you, all of you."

Thalia waved it off dismissively. "'Twas nothing."

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Rachel chimed. "We must retrieve your dress from Mildrid."

"No need to worry about that," a voice piped up from the door.

Mildrid entered my chambers, carrying my wedding dress.

"Thank you, Mildrid!" exclaimed Rachel. "You've saved us much time."

Mildrid laughed. "No worries, girls. Now, let us get the princess into her dress, shall we?"

* * *

Juniper sighed. "Oh, Princess, you look stunning."

"Thank you, Juniper," I smiled.

I looked at my dress in the mirror. It had a snug bodice that gradually spread out to the skirt, which had a fairly short train; I didn't want it to be too extravagant. Though the dress had long sleeves, they were made of lace. I wouldn't be putting the veil on until we were going to the chapel, but it was almost transparent and would be held to my hair by my crown.

Just then, there was a knock at the door and my mother stepped in. The four other occupants of the room abruptly stood up and curtsied.

My mother smiled. "Please, no need for such formalities."

She walked up to me. "You look beautiful, dear."

"Thank you."

She then turned to the others. "My! Thalia, you've not even worn your dress yet," she exclaimed.

Thalia bit her lip and quickly glanced at me. "My apologies, Your Highness. I will go put it on immediately."

She grabbed Juniper and Rachel by the arm, pulling them with her to the door. They stopped at the door, curtsied, and simultaneously said, "Excuse us, Your Highness," before hurrying out.

My mother looked to Mildrid. "Would you mind if I speak to my daughter alone?"

Mildrid scrambled to her feet. "Of course not, Your Majesty!"

She curtsied once before walking out of the chambers as well.

Mother sat down on the loveseat, patting the seat next to her. "Come, sit. I would like to talk to you for a moment."

I complied and sat down beside her. She took my hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. When she spoke, her eyes were gleaming an emotion I could not ascertain.

"You have come a long way from home," she began, "to marry a prince you've only met, in order to save your kingdom. I do not know any person in the world, man or woman, who is brave enough to do what you will be doing today. I am very proud of you, Annabeth."

I beamed at her. "Really?"

"Of course! Why, you are sacrificing so much for your kingdom. How could I not be proud?" she remarked, smiling at me.

I suddenly felt guilty. My mother should not have been proud of me for something I wouldn't be doing.

"Mother," I said, "I have a confession to make."

She raised her eyebrows.

"I do not intend on marrying Luke today," I stated.

Her eyes widened. "Why?"

"Because," I took a deep breath, "because I am in love with another man."

"I see," she said calmly, "and who, if I may ask, is this man?"

"Percy Jackson."

Mother frowned. "Your protector?"

I nodded. "Yes."

She studied me for a moment, her piercing grey eyes, very much similar to mine, seemed to analyze my every feature.

"Are you angry?" I asked quietly.

My mother pursed her lips before sighing. "No. I am a bit surprised, but I am not angry."

"I know it isn't proper to be falling in love with someone not of noble blood, but I love him dearly," I said.

She gave me a small smile. "I know you do, sweetheart. I can see it in your eyes. And do not think that falling in love ever has to be proper, all right? Differences in class will never stand in the way of love." She tilted her head a bit and looked at me questioningly. "Have I ever told you the story of how your father and I married?"

I shook my head.

"Well, I actually grew up in a small town just outside of the palace. I was never of noble blood, just your average peasant girl," my mother said, lightheartedly.

I gaped at her in surprise.

She continued, "When I was around your age, your father, who was the prince at the time, visited our town because we were holding a festival. I was visiting the festival when I bumped into him at a food stand. He apologized, though clearly it was I who stumbled into him, and offered to buy me something from the stand. I couldn't refuse, of course, because he was the prince and he was just so handsome."

My mother had a dreamy look on her face, most likely remembering my father when he was younger, and I had to stifle a laugh.

"He asked me to dance with him afterwards," said Mother. "It seemed as if the whole town gathered around us as the musicians played. I remember thinking that my life could not have been any better and that I could have possibly fallen in love. When he left, he promised to come back to visit me, and I kept him to that promise. Not long after that day, he returned and stayed in town for a week. We seemed to spend every waking moment with each other that week, and by the end of it, he confessed his love and asked me to marry him. I tried to reason with myself that one week was not enough to fall in love, let alone marry, but despite what my brain was telling me, my heart told me all I needed to know. I said yes.

"He took me back to the palace with him and introduced me to his parents, the king and queen. However, they did not approve of our relationship and threatened to banish him from the palace should he not break our engagement. But your father went against his parents words, and we eloped. We found a small cottage not far from the palace. We lived there for quite a while until word got out that the king had fallen ill. Not long after, the king died from his illness, leaving the kingdom without a king. The queen then sent a message to your father, begging him to take his father's place. From then on, we became King and Queen, and we had you, Annabeth, as Princess."

When my mother finished telling her story, I could only sit in silence, reflecting on her words. _My mother had been a peasant, but my father married her anyway because he loved her. They understand what I am going through._

I hesitantly asked, "Does that mean you approve of my relationship with Percy?"

"He has done a fine job protecting you, and as long as he makes you happy, I approve of him," she replied.

I threw my arms around her and hugged her tightly. "Thank you," I whispered.

She tightened her arms around me. "You are welcome."

Mother pulled back and asked, "If you do not intend on marrying Luke, what are you going to do?"

I grinned. "I actually came up with a solution to all of this."

However, before I could explain to her my plan, Thalia stepped into the chambers. "Sorry to interrupt, but the groom's party has already left. It is time for us to prepare to leave."

My mother stood up, smoothing her dress. "Well, I will leave first. My carriage comes before yours, Annabeth. You should be waiting for your father to come fetch you."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Thalia curtsied to her as she left, and stepped into the room. I noticed that she still had not changed yet.

"All is set. I will only need to fit into the dress and we will be ready," she said.

I nodded. "And you will be taking a separate carriage?"

"Yes."

"Alright then. I believe you should go before someone figures you are missing," I pointed out.

Thalia grinned. "Right."

She exited my chambers, leaving me to sit in silence. I sighed, thinking about what I was planning. I hoped it would work in the end because we'd be left with even more problems if it didn't.

"Knock, knock," a voice announced from the doorway. "Time to leave, Annabeth."

I stood up and smoothed my dress. "Yes, Father."

He entered the room. "My, you look beautiful, sweetheart."

"Thank you," I said, chuckling.

Before I forgot, I grabbed the veil and my crown, positioning them on my head so that the veil surrounded my entire head.

"Ready?" my father asked.

I nodded. "Yes."

* * *

The carriage ride to the church was fairly short. Quite frankly, I found it unnecessary to ride a carriage when we could have walked. However, the ride was more enjoyable due to the festivity outside. The king had allowed people to gather around the path of the carriage. They were all cheering and waving to us. I smiled and waved to the people, as we were practiced to do.

Upon arriving at the church, my father helped me out of the carriage and two young girls immediately rushed to fix my rumpled train. They then each took a side and walked behind me, holding onto the train.

We halted at the lobby, where the bridesmaids and groomsmen were bustling about. Rachel was trying to calm them.

"Get to your places!" she hissed.

One-by-one, in the same order as the wedding rehearsal, the pairs walked down the aisle. When Ethan went alone, I heard a small outbreak of murmurs from the people in the pews.

"Where is Thalia, Annabeth?" my father whispered to me.

I bit my lip. "She is…a bit caught up on something."

I sensed my father was about to question further, but the music changed and we began walking. Everyone had risen to their feet, all smiling at me. When we reached the altar, my father went to sit down beside my mother. As the music came to an end, the priest began to speak:

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God to join together this Man and this Woman in holy Matrimony; which is an honourable estate, instituted of God in Paradise, and into which holy estate these two persons present come now to be joined.

Therefore if any man can show any just cause, why they may not lawfully be joined together, let him now speak, or else hereafter forever hold his peace."

I glanced at Luke and nodded. He nodded as well. It was time to unravel the plan. We both looked to the priest and said in unison, "We object."

Collective gasps were heard from around the room.

The priest, in his shock, managed to squeak out, "I beg your pardon?"

"We object to this marriage," Luke repeated.

"And what is your cause?" the priest demanded.

I smiled. "That we do not love each other. That there is someone else we would rather marry."

Luke and I then turned to our guests, our friends and family. My father was the first to speak up, "But Annabeth, dear, marrying Luke will be the only way for Castella kingdom to help us protect our citizens."

Luke shook his head. "Your Majesty, I promise you that if I am allowed to marry the woman I love, you will receive all of our help."

"Now, wait just a minute, Son," King Hermes intervened.

"Father," Luke said, "please understand that this will make me happier than if I were to marry Princess Annabeth. And wouldn't you like your son to be happy?"

The king looked a bit conflicted at this.

"If it makes you feel any better, she _is_ of noble blood," Luke remarked, wearing a crooked smile.

Everybody chuckled and even King Hermes was trying to fight a smile.

He sighed. "Oh, alright, but I'd like to know who this girl of yours is first."

"Thalia Grace," Luke immediately replied, with so much emotion and conviction in his voice, no one doubted that he loved her.

"Very well, I will allow you to marry Thalia under one condition," said King Hermes.

Luke frowned. "And what is that?"

"You must marry her right now."

Luke grinned. "I was hoping you would say that."

I pulled my veil back so it did not cover my face.

"Mr. Grace," I called.

Startled, he looked up at me with wide eyes. "Yes, Princess."

"Would you mind walking Thalia down the aisle?" I asked, trying to contain the wide grin stretching my face. "She is already waiting in the lobby."

"Of course!" he exclaimed, scrambling to the back of the church.

Luke turned to me and whispered, "Thank you."

I smiled. "You are very welcome."

I walked towards Percy and sat beside him on the pew. He took my hand in his, beaming at me.

"It seems like your plan worked out after all," he murmured.

"I believe it did," I replied.

He grinned cheekily at me. "I knew it would."

I bumped his shoulder with mine. "Oh, be quiet."

Percy chuckled then pressed a kiss to my temple. "I love you."

"I love you, too," I replied, resting my head on his shoulder.

The music began to play and we stood, looking to the back where Thalia was entering. She was wearing a wedding dress similar to mine, except it was sleeveless. Her face couldn't be clearly seen due to the veil, which was held to her head by a tiara I had lent her. However, I knew that she looked beautiful.

Luke seemed to think so, as well, because when I looked at him, he was staring at her with shining eyes and a goofy smile. I smiled to myself. If that wasn't love, I didn't know what was.

When Thalia reached the altar, the priest began the ceremony, again.

"Dearly beloved…"

* * *

Loud cheers rang throughout the palace as the happy couple made their way to their carriage. Percy and I were laughing as we threw rice into the air, and at Thalia and Luke, as well. I waved to Thalia as the carriage rode away.

When we could no longer see it in the distance, everybody gathered up their belongings, and made way for home.

Sighing, I bunched my dress up so it did not trip me, and walked alongside Percy and Rachel.

Rachel said, "So, now that the commotion and chaos of this wedding is over, what are we going to do?"

Percy and I shared a look. "I believe we will be going back home, now," I answered.

She looked crestfallen after I said this.

"Do not worry, though," I reassured her. "We will be back before you know it! I'm sure someone will be marrying soon enough."

Rachel immediately brightened up. "Absolutely. I'll be waiting for your wedding with Kelp Head."

Percy let out a "Hey!" while I exclaimed, "Why _me_? Why can't you say Grover or Juniper? I'm sure they'll be marrying soon enough."

Rachel merely rolled her eyes. "Because you two have bottled up your emotions for so long, waiting until only recently to confess your love. It's about time you get married!"

I merely huffed because I knew she was speaking the truth.

* * *

_Six months later…_

The cheers were loud enough to burst my eardrums and all I could see was white as literally tons of rice were thrown at us. However, I couldn't have cared less because Percy was holding my hand and laughing his head off.

We arrived at our carriage and he helped me into it. Once inside, we turned and waved to our friends and family as the carriage slowly rolled away.

I frowned. "Is that…is that Nico and Rachel _holding hands_?"

"Huh, I suppose it is," said Percy, rather surprised.

I smiled and shook my head, sitting back down on my seat. Percy followed suit and threw an arm around my shoulders. He leaned down to kiss me. I sighed against his lips before pressing mine firmly on them, deepening the kiss. After pulling away, I rested my head against his shoulder and placed a hand on his chest.

"We've come far, haven't we, my lovely wife?" said Percy.

I smiled up at him. "Why, yes, we have, my dear husband."

"So what now?" he asked.

I shrugged. "We live our lives. I believe I've had enough hardships to deal with for a lifetime."

"Me too," he agreed, wrapping his arms around my waist.

And I believe, from then on, that we lived happily ever after.

_**The End**_

**A/N: *sigh* And so ends the journey known as **_**Why Me?**_** Thank you for all of the support you guys have brought to this story. I seriously wouldn't have done it without the reviews/alerts/favorites. It's been an incredible year.**

**Unfortunately, I am not planning on making a sequel for this story. I'm focusing on writing a new one for PJO as well as one for Maximum Ride. I'm also planning on posting a lot of oneshots within the month or so. So, keep a lookout for those.**

**Again, thank you to all of you, especially my reviewers. Your reviews never cease to make me smile and I especially enjoy reading the longer ones. I love you all! Until next time, I look forward to your feedback. Hopefully, you'll be writing reviews for my next story very soon. ;)**

**Much love,  
storyteller1425**


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